Clover 


SUSAN  COOLIDGE'S  BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


Wbat  Katy  Did  Series. 

WHAT  KATY  DID.  WHAT  KATY  DID  AT  SCHOOL. 

WHAT  KATY  DID  NEXT.    CLOVER. 

IN  THE  HIGH  VALLEY. 

Stories  for  Young  People. 

THE  NEW-YEAR'S  BARGAIN.    A  LITTLE  COUNTRY  GIRL. 
MISCHIEF'S  THANKSGIVING.    JUST  SIXTEEN. 
NINE  LITTLE  GOSLINGS.         A  GUERNSEY  LILY. 
EYKBRIGHT.  THE  BARBERRY  BUSH. 

CROSS  PATCH.  NOT  QUITE  EIGHTEEN. 

A  ROUND  DOZEN.          ____ 

RHYMES  AND  BALLADS  FOR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS. 


Clover 


By 

Susan   Coolidge/p 


Author  of  "  What  Katy  Did,"  "  Mischief's  Thanksgiving." 
"Nine  Little  Goslings,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY  JESSIE   McDERMOT 


Boston 
Little,  Brown,  and   Company 


Copyright,  1888, 
BY  ROBERTS  BROTHERS 


8.  J.  PARKHILL  &  Co.,  BOSTOH,  U.  8.  A, 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  A  TALK  ON  THE  DOORSTEPS 7 

II.  THE  DAY  OF  HAPPY  LETTERS 29 

III.  THE  FIRST  WEDDING  IN  THE  FAMILY      .     .  51 

IV.  Two  LONG  YEARS  IN  ONE  SHORT  CHAPTER  80 
V.  CAR  FORTY-SEVEN 102 

VI.  ST.  HELEN'S 132 

VII.  MAKING  ACQUAINTANCE 163 

VIII.  HIGH  VALLEY 190 

IX.  OVER  A  PASS 220 

X.  No.  13  PIUTE  STREET 250 

XI.  THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES     .     .    .  280 


2138904   ' 


CLOVER. 

• 

CHAPTER  I. 

A  TALK   ON   THE   DOORSTEPS. 

was  one  of  those  afternoons  in  late 
April  which  are  as  mild  and  balmy 
as  any  June  day.  The  air  was  full 
of  the  chirps  and  twitters  of  nest-building 
birds,  and  of  sweet  indefinable  odors  from 
half-developed  leaf-buds  and  cherry  and 
pear  blossoms.  The  wisterias  overhead  were 
thickly  starred  with  pointed  pearl-colored 
sacs,  growing  purpler  with  each  hour,  which 
would  be  flowers  before  long;  the  hedges 
were  quickening  into  life,  the  long  pensile 
willow-boughs  and  the  honey-locusts  hung 
in  a  mist  of  fine  green  against  the  sky,  and 


8  CLOVER. 

delicious  smells  came  with  every  puff  of 
wind  from  the  bed  of  white  violets  under 
the  parlor  windows. 

Katy  and  Clover  Carr,  sitting  with  their 
sewing  on  the  door-steps,  drew  in  with  every 
breath  the  sense  of  spring.  Who  does  not 
know  the  delightfulness  of  that  first  sitting 
out  of  doors  after  a  long  winter's  confine- 
ment? It  seems  like  flinging  the  gauntlet 
down  to  the  powers  of  cold.  Hope  and  reno- 
vation are  in  the  air.  Life  has  conquered 
Death,  and  to  the  happy  hearts  in  love  with 
life  there  is  joy  in  the  victory.  The  two 
sisters  talked  busily  as  they  sewed,  but  all 
the  time  an  only  half-conscious  rapture  in- 
formed their  senses,  —  the  sympathy  of  that 
which  is  immortal  in  human  souls  with  the 
resurrection  of  natural  things,  which  is  the 
sure  pledge  of  immortality. 

It  was  nearly  a  year  since  Katy  had  come 
back  from  that  too  brief  journey  to  Europe 
with  Mrs.  Ashe  and  Amy,  about  which  some 
of  you  have  read,  and  many  things  of  inter- 
est to  the  Carr  family  had  happened  during 


A   TALK   ON   THE   DOORSTEPS.  9 

the  interval.  The  "  Natchitoches  "  had  duly 
arrived  in  New  York  in  October,  and  pres- 
ently afterward  Burnet  was  convulsed  by  the 
appearance  of  a  tall  young  fellow  in  naval 
uniform,  and  the  announcement  of  Katy's  en- 
gagement to  Lieutenant  Worthington. 

It  was  a  piece  of  news  which  interested 
everybody  in  the  little  town,  for  Dr.  Carr 
was  a  universal  friend  and  favorite.  For  a 
time  he  had  been  the  only  physician  in  the 
place  ;  and  though  with  the  gradual  growth 
of  population  two  or  three  younger  men  had 
appeared  to  dispute  the  ground  with  him, 
they  were  forced  for  the  most  part  to  content 
themselves  with  doctoring  the  new  arrivals, 
and  with  such  fragments  and  leavings  of 
practice  as  Dr.  Carr  chose  to  intrust  to  them. 
None  of  the  old  established  families  would 
consent  to  call  in  any  one  else  if  they  could 
possibly  get  the  "old"  doctor. 

A  skilful  practitioner,  who  is  at  the  same 
time  a  wise  adviser,  a  helpful  friend,  and  an 
agreeable  man,  must  necessarily  command  a 
wide  influence.  Dr.  Carr  was  "  by  all  odds 


10  CLOVER. 

and  far  away,"  as  our  English  cousins  would 
express  it,  the  most  popular  person  in  Burnet, 
wanted  for  all  pleasant  occasions,  and  doubly 
wanted  for  all  painful  ones. 

So  the  news  of  Katy's  engagement  was 
made  a  matter  of  personal  concern  by  a  great 
many  people,  and  caused  a  general  stir,  part- 
ly because  she  was  her  father's  daughter,  and 
partly  because  she  was  herself;  for  Katy  had 
won  many  friends  by  her  own  merit.  So 
long  as  Ned  Worthington  stayed,  a  sort  of 
tide  of  congratulation  and  sympathy  seemed 
to  sweep  through  the  house  all  day  long. 
Tea-roses  and  chrysanthemums,  and  baskets 
of  pears  and  the  beautiful  Burnet  grapes 
flooded  the  premises,  and  the  door-bell  rang 
so  often  that  Clover  threatened  to  leave  the 
door  open,  with  a  card  attached,  —  "  Walk 
straight  in.  He  is  in  the  parlor !  " 

Everybody  wanted  to  see  and  know  Katy's 
lover,  and  to  have  him  as  a  guest.  Ten  tea- 
drinkings  a  week  would  scarcely  have  con- 
tented Katy's  well-wishers,  had  the  limitations 
of  mortal  weeks  permitted  such  a  thing ;  and 


A  TALK   ON   THE   DOORSTEPS.  11 

not  a  can  of  oysters  would  have  been  left  in 
the  place  if  Lieutenant  Worthington's  leave 
had  lasted  three  days  longer.  Clover  and 
Elsie  loudly  complained  that  they  themselves 
never  had  a  chance  to  see  him ;  for  whenever 
he  was  not  driving  or  walking  with  Katy,  or 
having  long  tete-a-tetes  in  the  library,  he  was 
eating  muffins  somewhere,  or  making  calls  on 
old  ladies  whose  feelings  would  be  dreadfully 
hurt  if  he  went  away  without  their  seeing 
him. 

"  Sisters  seem  to  come  off  worst  of  all," 
protested  Johnnie.  But  in  spite  of  their  lam- 
entations they  all  saw  enough  of  their  future 
brother-in-law  to  grow  fond  of  him ;  and  not- 
withstanding some  natural  pangs  of  jealousy 
at  having  to  share  Katy  with  an  outsider,  it 
was  a  happy  visit,  and  every  one  was  sorry 
when  the  leave  of  absence  ended,  and  Ned 
had  to  go  away. 

A  month  later  the  "  Natchitoches  "  sailed 
for  the  Bahamas.  It  was  to  be  a  six  months' 
cruise  only ;  and  on  her  return  she  was  for 
a  while  to  make  part  of  the  home  squadron. 


12  CLOVER. 

This  furnished  a  good  opportunity  for  her 
first  lieutenant  to  marry ;  so  it  was  agreed 
that  the  wedding  should  take  place  in  June, 
and  Katy  set  about  her  preparations  in  the 
leisurely  and  simple  fashion  which  was  char- 
acteristic of  her.  She  had  no  ambition  for  a 
great  trousseau,  and  desired  to  save  her  father 
expense ;  so  her  outfit,  as  compared  with  that 
of  most  modern  brides,  was  a  very  moderate 
one,  but  being  planned  and  mostly  made  at 
home,  it  necessarily  involved  thought,  time, 
and  a  good  deal  of  personal  exertion. 

Dear  little  Clover  flung  herself  into  the 
affair  with  even  more  interest  than  if  it  had 
been  her  own.  Many  happy  mornings  that 
winter  did  the  sisters  spend  together  over 
their  dainty  stitches  and  "  white  seam."  Elsie 
and  Johnnie  were  good  needle-women  now, 
and  could  help  in  many  ways.  Mrs.  Ashe 
often  joined  them ;  even  Amy  could  con- 
tribute aid  in  the  plainer  sewing,  and  thread 
everybody's  needles.  But  the  most  daring 
and  indefatigable  of  all  was  Clover,  who  never 
swerved  in  her  determination  that  Katy's 


A   TALK   ON   THE   DOOKSTEPS.  13 

"  things  "  should  be  as  nice  and  as  pretty  as 
love  and  industry  combined  could  make  them. 
Her  ideas  as  to  decoration  soared  far  beyond 
Katy's.  She  hem-stitched,  she  cat-stitched,  she 
feather-stitched,  she  lace-stitched,  she  tucked 
and  frilled  and  embroidered,  and  generally 
worked  her  fingers  off;  while  the  bride  vainly 
protested  that  all  this  finery  was  quite  un- 
necessary, and  that  simple  hems  and  a  little 
Hamburg  edging  would  answer  just  as  well. 
Clover  merely  repeated  the  words,  "  Hamburg 
edging  !  "  with  an  accent  of  scorn,  and  went 
straight  on  in  her  elected  way. 

As  each  article  received  its  last  touch,  and 
came  from  the  laundry  white  and  immaculate, 
it  was  folded  to  perfection,  tied  with  a  narrow 
blue  or  pale  rose-colored  ribbon,  and  laid  asid 
in  a  sacred  receptacle  known  as  "  The  Wedding 
Bureau."  The  handkerchiefs,  grouped  in  doz- 
ens, were  strewn  with  dried  violets  and  rose- 
leaves  to  make  them  sweet.  Lavender-bags 
and  sachets  of  orris  lay  among  the  linen;  and 
perfumes  as  of  Araby  were  discernible  when- 
ever a  drawer  in  the  bureau  was  pulled  out. 


14  CLOVER. 

So  the  winter  passed,  and  now  spring  was 
come ;  and  the  two  girls  on  the  doorsteps 
were  talking  about  the  wedding,  which  seemed 
very  near  now. 

"  Tell  me  just  what  sort  of  an  affair  you 
want  it  to  be,"  said  Clover. 

"  It  seems  more  your  wedding  than  mine, 
you  have  worked  so  hard  for  it,"  replied  Katy. 
"  You  might  give  your  ideas  first." 

"  My  ideas  are  not  very  distinct.  It 's  only 
lately  that  I  have  begun  to  think  about  it  at 
all,  there  has  been  so  much  to  do.  I  'd  like 
to  have  you  have  a  beautiful  dress  and  a 
great  many  wedding-presents  and  everything 
as  pretty  as  can  be,  but  not  so  many  brides- 
maids as  Cecy,  because  there  is  always  such 
a  fuss  in  getting  them  nicely  up  the  aisle  in 
church  and  out  again,  —  that  is  as  far  as  I  've 
got.  But  so  long  as  you  are  pleased,  and  it 
goes  off  well,  I  don't  care  exactly  how  it  is 
managed." 

"  Then,  since  you  are  in  such  an  accommo- 
dating frame  of  mind,  it  seems  a  good  time  to 
break  my  views  to  you.  Don't  be  shocked, 


A  TALK   ON  THE  DOORSTEPS.  15 

Clovy ;  but,  do  you  know,  I  don't  want  to  be 
married  in  church  at  all,  or  to  have  any 
bridesmaids,  or  anything  arranged  for  before- 
hand particularly.  I  should  like  things  to 
be  simple,  and  to  just  happen." 

"  But,  Katy,  you  can't  do  it  like  that. 
It  will  all  get  into  a  snarl  if  there  is  no 
planning  beforehand  or  rehearsals ;  it  would 
be  confused  and  horrid." 

"  I  don't  see  why  it  would  be  confused  if 
there  were  nothing  to  confuse.  Please  not 
be  vexed ;  but  I  always  have  hated  the  ordi- 
nary kind  of  wedding,  with  its  fuss  and  worry 
and  so  much  of  everything,  and  just  like  all 
the  other  weddings,  and  the  bride  looking 
tired  to  death,  and  nobody  enjoying  it  a  bit. 
I  'd  like  mine  to  be  different,  and  more — more 
—  real.  1  don't  want  any  show  or  processing 
about,  but  just  to  have  things  nice  and  pretty, 
and  all  the  people  I  love  and  who  love  me  to 
come  to  it,  and  nothing  cut  and  dried,  and 
nobody  tired,  and  to  make  it  a  sort  of  dear, 
loving  occasion,  with  leisure  to  realize  how 
dear  it  is  and  what  it  all  means.  Don't 


16  CLOVER. 

you  think  it  would  really  be  nicer  in  that 
way  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  as  you  put  it,  and  '  viewed  from 
the  higher  standard,'  as  Miss  Inches  would 
say,  perhaps  it  would.  Still,  bridesmaids  and 
all  that  are  very  pretty  to  look  at ;  and  folks 
will  be  surprised  if  you  don't  have  them." 

"  Never  mind  folks,"  remarked  the  irreve- 
rent Katy.  "  I  don't  care  a  button  for  that 
argument.  Yes;  bridesmaids  and  going  up 
the  aisle  in  a  long  procession  and  all  the  rest 
are  pretty  to  look  at,  —  or  were  before  they  got 
to  be  so  hackneyed.  I  can  imagine  the  first 
bridal  procession  up  the  aisle  of  some  early 
cathedral  as  having  been  perfectly  beautiful. 
But  nowadays,  when  the  butcher  and  baker 
and  candlestick-maker  and  everybody  else  do 
it  just  alike,  the  custom  seems  to  me  to  have 
lost  its  charm.  I  never  did  enjoy  having 
things  exactly  as  every  one  else  has  them,  — 
all  going  in  the  same  direction  like  a  flock 
of  sheep.  I  would  like  my  little  wedding 
to  be  something  especially  my  own.  There 
was  a  poetical  meaning  in  those  old  customs ; 


A  TALK  ON  THE   DOORSTEPS.  17 

but  now  that  the  custom  has  swallowed  up  so 
much  of  the  meaning,  it  would  please  me  better 
to  retain  the  meaning  and  drop  the  custom." 

"  I  see  what  you  mean,"  said  Clover,  not 
quite  convinced,  but  inclined  as  usual  to  ad- 
mire Katy  and  think  that  whatever  she  meant 
must  be  right.  "  But  tell  me  a  little  more. 
You  mean  to  have  a  wedding-dress,  don't 
you?"  doubtfully. 

"Yes,  indeed!" 

"  Have  you  thought  what  it  shall  be  ?  " 

"Do  you  recollect  that  beautiful  white 
crape  shawl  of  mamma's  which  papa  gave  me 
two  years  ago  ?  It  has  a  lovely  wreath  of 
embroidery  round  it ;  and  it  came  to  me  the 
other  day  that  it  would  make  a  charming 
gown,  with  white  surah  or  something  for  the 
under-dress.  I  should  like  that  better  than 
anything  new,  because  mamma  used  to  wear 
it,  and  it  would  seem  as  if  she  were  here  still, 
helping  me  to  get  ready.  Don't  you  think 
so?" 

"  It  is  a  lovely  idea,"  said  Clover,  the  ever- 
ready  tears  dimming  her  happy  blue  eyes 


18  CLOVEE. 

for  a  moment,  "and  just  like  you.  Yes,  that 
shall  be  the  dress,  —  dear  mamma's  shawl. 
It  will  please  papa  too,  I  think,  to  have  you 
choose  it." 

"  I  thought  perhaps  it  would,"  said  Katy, 
soberly.  "  Then  I  have  a  wide  white  watered 
sash  which  Aunt  Izzy  gave  me,  and  I  mean  to 
have  that  worked  into  the  dress  somehow.  I 
should  like  to  wear  something  of  hers  too,  for 
she  was  really  good  to  us  when  we  were  little, 
and  all  that  long  time  that  I  was  ill ;  and  we 
were  not  always  good  to  her,  I  am  afraid. 
Poor  Aunt  Izzy !  What  troublesome  little 
wretches  we  were,  —  I  most  of  all!" 

"  Were  you  ?  Somehow  I  never  can  recol- 
lect the  time  when  you  were  not  a  born  angel. 
I  am  afraid  I  don't  remember  Aunt  Izzy  well. 
I  just  have  a  vague  memory  of  somebody 
who  was  pretty  strict  and  cross." 

"  Ah,  you  never  had  a  back,  and  needed  to 
be  waited  on  night  and  day,  or  you  would 
recollect  a  great  deal  more  than  that.  Cousin 
Helen  helped  me  to  appreciate  what  Aunt 
Izzy  really  was.  By  the  way,  one  of  the  two 


A   TALK   ON   THE    DOORSTEPS.  19 

things  I  have  set  my  heart  on  is  to  have 
Cousin  Helen  come  to  my  wedding." 

"  It  would  be  lovely  if  she  could.  Do  you 
suppose  there  is  any  chance  ?  " 

"  I  wrote  her  week  before  last,  but  she 
has  n't  answered  yet.  Of  course  it  depends 
on  how  she  is;  but  the  accounts  from  her 
have  been  pretty  good  this  year." 

"  What  is  the  other  thing  you  have  set 
your  heart  on  ?  You  said  '  two.' ' 

"  The  other  is  that  Rose  Red  shall  be  here, 
and  little  Rose.  I  wrote  to  her  the  other 
day  also,  and  coaxed  hard.  Would  n't  it  be 
too  enchanting?  You  know  how  we  have 
always  longed  to  have  her  in  Burnet ;  and  if 
she  could  come  now  it  would  make  every- 
thing twice  as  pleasant." 

"  Katy,  what  an  enchanting  thought !  " 
cried  Clover,  who  had  not  seen  Rose  since 
they  all  left  Hillsover.  "  It  would  be  the 
greatest  lark  that  ever  was  to  have  the  Roses. 
When  do  you  suppose  we  shall  hear  ?  I  can 
hardly  wait,  I  am  in  such  a  hurry  to  have  her 
Bay 'Yes.'" 


20  CLOVER. 

"  But  suppose  she  says  '  No '  ?  " 

"  I  won't  think  of  such  a  possibility.  Now 
go  on.  I  suppose  your  principles  don't  pre- 
clude a  wedding-cake  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  they  include  a  great 
deal  of  wedding-cake.  I  want  to  send  a  box  to 
everybody  in  Burnet,  —  all  the  poor  people, 
I  mean,  and  the  old  people  and  the  children 
at  the  Home  and  those  forlorn  creatures  at 
the  poor-house  and  all  papa's  patients." 

"  But,  Katy,  that  will  cost  a  lot,"  objected 
the  thrifty  Clover. 

"  I  know  it;  so  we  must  do  it  in  the  cheap- 
est way,  and  make  the  cake  ourselves.  I 
have  Aunt  Izzy's  recipe,  which  is  a  very  good 
one ;  and  if  we  all  take  hold,  it  won't  be 
such  an  immense  piece  of  work.  Debby  has 
quantities  of  raisins  stoned  already.  She 
has  been  doing  them  in  the  evenings  a  few 
at  a  time  for  the  last  month.  Mrs.  Ashe 
knows  a  factory  where  you  can  get  the 
little  white  boxes  for  ten  dollars  a  thousand, 
and  I  have  commissioned  her  to  send  for 
five  hundred." 


A   TALK   ON   THE   DOORSTEPS.  21 

"  Five  hundred  !  What  an  immense 
quantity !  " 

"  Yes  ;  but  there  are  all  the  Hillsover  girls 
to  be  remembered,  and  all  our  kith  and  kin, 
and  everybody  at  the  wedding  will  want  one. 
I  don't  think  it  will  be  too  many.  Oh,  I 
have  arranged  it  all  in  my  mind.  Johnnie 
will  slice  the  citron,  Elsie  will  wash  the  cur- 
rants, Debby  measure  and  bake,  Alexander 
mix,  you  and  I  will  attend  to  the  icing,  and 
all  of  us  will  cut  it  up." 

"  Alexander !  " 

"  Alexander.  He  is  quite  pleased  with  the 
idea,  and  has  constructed  an  implement  —  a 
sort  of  spade,  cut  out  of  new  pine  wood  —  for 
the  purpose.  He  says  it  will  be  a  sight  easier 
than  digging  flower-beds.  We  will  set  about 
it  next  week ;  for  the  cake  improves  by  keep- 
ing, and  as  it  is  the  heaviest  job  we  have  to 
do,  it  will  be  well  to  get  it  out  of  the  way 
early." 

"  Sha'n't  you  have  a  floral  bell,  or  a  bower 
to  stand  in,  or  something  of  that  kind  ?  "  ven- 
tured Clover,  timidly. 


22  CLOVER. 

"  Indeed  I  shall  not,"  replied  Katy.  "  I 
particularly  dislike  floral  bells  and  bowers. 
They  are  next  worst  to  anchors  and  harps 
and  '  floral  pillows '  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
dreadful  things  that  they  have  at  funerals. 
No,  we  will  have  plenty  of  fresh  flowers,  but 
not  in  stiff  arrangements.  I  want  it  all  to 
seem  easy  and  to  be  easy.  Don't  look  so 
disgusted,  Clovy." 

"  Oh,  I  'm  not  disgusted.  It 's  your  wed- 
ding. I  want  you  to  have  everything  in  your 
own  way." 

"  It 's  everybody's  wedding,  I  think,"  said 
Katy,  tenderly.  "  Everybody  is  so  kind  about 
it.  Did  you  see  the  thing  that  Polly  sent  this 
morning  ?  " 

"  No.  It  must  have  come  after  I  went  out. 
What  was  it?" 

"  Seven  yards  of  beautiful  nun's  lace  which 
she  bought  in  Florence.  She  says  it  is  to 
trim  a  morning  dress ;  but  it 's  really  too 
pretty.  How  dear  Polly  is!  She  sends  me 
something  almost  every  day.  I  seem  to  be  in 
her  thoughts  all  the  time.  It  is  because  she 


A  TALK   ON   THE   DOORSTEPS.  23 

loves  Ned  so  much,  of  course ;  but  it  is  just  as 
kind  of  her." 

"  I  think  she  loves  you  almost  as  much  as 
Ned,"  said  Clover. 

"  Oh,  she  could  n't  do  that ;  Ned  is  her  only 
brother.  There  is  Amy  at  the  gate  now." 

It  was  a  much  taller  Amy  than  had  come 
home  from  Italy  the  year  before  who  was 
walking  toward  them  under  the  budding 
locust-boughs.  Roman  fever  had  seemed  to 
quicken  and  stimulate  all  Amy's  powers,  and 
she  had  grown  very  fast  during  the  past  year. 
Her  face  was  as  frank  and  childlike  as  ever, 
and  her  eyes  as  blue;  but  she  was  prettier 
than  when  she  went  to  Europe,  for  her  cheeks 
were  pink,  and  the  mane  of  waving  hair 
which  framed  them  in  was  very  becoming. 
The  hair  was  just  long  enough  now  to  touch 
her  shoulders ;  it  was  turning  brown  as  it 
lengthened,  but  the  ends  of  the  locks  still 
shone  with  childish  gold,  and  caught  the  sun 
in  little  shining  rings  as  it  filtered  down 
through  the  tree  branches. 

She  kissed  Clover  several  times,  and  gave 


24  CLOVER. 

Katy  a  long,  close  hug ;  then  she  produced  a 
parcel  daintily  hid  in  silver  paper. 

"  Tanta,"  she  said,  —  this  was  a  pet  name 
lately  invented  for  Katy,  —  "  here  is  some- 
thing for  you  from  mamma.  It 's  something 
quite  particular,  I  think,  for  mamma  cried 
when  she  was  writing  the  note ;  not  a  hard 
cry,  you  know,  but  just  two  little  teeny-weeny 
tears  in  her  eyes.  She  kept  smiling,  though, 
and  she  looked  happy,  so  I  guess  it  is  n't  any- 
thing very  bad.  She  said  I  was  to  give  it  to 
you  with  her  best,  best  love." 

Katy  opened  the  parcel,  and  beheld  a  square 
veil  of  beautiful  old  blonde.  The  note  said : 

This  was  my  wedding-veil,  dearest  Katy,  and 
my  mother  wore  it  before  me.  It  has  been  laid 
aside  all  these  years  with  the  idea  that  perhaps 
Amy  might  want  it  some  day ;  but  instead  I  send 
it  to  you,  without  whom  there  would  be  no  Amy  to 
wear  this  or  anything  else.  I  think  it  would  please 
Ned  to  see  it  on  your  head,  and  I  know  it  would 
make  me  very  happy;  but  if  you  don't  feel  like 
using  it,  don't  mind  for  a  moment  saying  so  to 
Your  loving 

POLLY. 


1  Katy  opened  the  parcel,  and  beheld  a  square  veil  of  beautiful  old 
blonde." — Page  24. 


A   TALK   ON   THE   DOORSTEPS.  25 

Katy  handed  the  note  silently  to  Clover, 
and  laid  her  face  for  a  little  while  among  the 
soft  folds  of  the  lace,  about  which  a  faint  odor 
of  roses  hung  like  the  breath  of  old-time  and 
unforgotten  loves  and  affections. 

"  Shall  you  ?  "  queried  Clover,  softly. 

"  Why,  of  course !  Does  n't  it  seem  too 
sweet  ?  Both  our  mothers !  " 

"  There  !  "  cried  Amy,  "  you  are  going  to 
cry  too,  Tanta  !  I  thought  weddings  were 
nice  funny  things.  I  never  supposed  they 
made  people  feel  badly.  I  sha'n't  ever  let 
Mabel  get  married,  I  think.  But  she  '11  have 
to  stay  a  little  girl  always  in  that  case,  for  I 
certainly  won't  have  her  an  old  maid." 

"  What  do  you  know  about  old  maids, 
midget  ?  "  asked  Clover. 

"  Why,  Miss  Clover,  I  have  seen  lots  of 
them.  There  was  that  one  at  the  Pension 
Suisse ;  you  remember,  Tanta  ?  And  the  two 
on  the  steamer  when  we  came  home.  And 
there  's  Miss  Fitz  who  made  my  blue  frock ; 
Ellen  said  she  was  a  regular  old  maid.  I 
never  mean  to  let  Mabel  be  like  that." 


26  CLOVER. 

"  I  don't  think  there  's  the  least  danger," 
remarked  Katy,  glancing  at  the  inseparable 
Mabel,  who  was  perched  on  Amy's  arm,  and 
who  did  not  look  a  day  older  than  she  had 
done  eighteen  months  previously.  "Amy, 
we  're  going  to  make  wedding-cake  next 
week,  —  heaps  and  heaps  of  wedding-cake. 
Don't  you  want  to  come  and  help  ? " 

"  Why,  of  course  I  do.  What  fun !  Which 
day  may  I  come  ?  " 

The  cake-making  did  really  turn  out  fun. 
Many  hands  made  light  work  of  what  would 
have  been  a  formidable  job  for  one  or  two. 
It  was  all  done  gradually.  Johnnie  cut  the 
golden  citron  quarters  into  thin  transparent 
slices  in  the  sitting-room  one  morning  while 
the  others  were  sewing,  and  reading  Tenny- 
son aloud.  Elsie  and  Amy  made  a  regular 
frolic  of  the  currant-washing.  Katy,  with 
Debby's  assistance,  weighed  and  measured ; 
and  the  mixture  was  enthusiastically  stirred 
by  Alexander,  with  the  "  spade "  which  he 
had  invented,  in  a  large  new  wash-tub.  Then 
came  the  baking,  which  for  two  days  filled 


A   TALK    ON   THE   DOORSTEPS.  27 

the  house  with  spicy,  plum-puddingy  odors; 
then  the  great  feat  of  icing  the  big  square 
loaves ;  and  then  the  cutting  up,  in  which  all 
took  part.  There  was  much  careful  measure- 
ment that  the  slices  might  be  an  exact  fit; 
and  the  kitchen  rang  with  bright  laughter 
and  chat  as  Katy  and  Clover  wielded  the 
sharp  bread-knives,  and  the  others  fitted  the 
portions  into  their  boxes,  and  tied  the  ribbons 
in  crisp  little  bows.  Many  delicious  crumbs 
and  odd  corners  and  fragments  fell  to  the 
share  of  the  younger  workers ;  and  altogether 
the  occasion  struck  Amy  as  so  enjoyable  that 
she  announced  —  with  her  mouth  full  —  that 
she  had  changed  her  mind,  and  that  Mabel 
might  get  married  as  often  as  she  pleased,  if 
she  would  have  cake  like  thai  every  time,  —  a 
liberality  of  permission  which  Mabel  listened 
to  with  her  invariable  waxen  smile. 

When  all  was  over,  and  the  last  ribbons 
tied,  the  hundreds  of  little  boxes  were  stacked 
in  careful  piles  on  a  shelf  of  the  inner  closet 
of  the  doctor's  office  to  wait  till  they  were 
wanted,  —  an  arrangement  which  naughty 


28  CLOVER. 

Clover  pronounced  eminently  suitable,  since 
there  should  always  be  a  doctor  close  at  hand 
where  there  was  so  much  wedding-cake.  But 
before  all  this  was  accomplished,  came  what 
Katy,  in  imitation  of  one  of  Miss  Edgeworth's 
heroines,  called  "  The  Day  of  Happy  Letters." 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    DAY    OF    HAPPY    LETTERS. 

IHE  arrival  of  the  morning  boat  with 
letters  and  newspapers  from  the 
East  was  the  great  event  of  the  day 
in  Burnet.  It  was  due  at  eleven  o'clock ;  and 
everybody,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  was 
on  the  lookout  for  it.  The  gentlemen  were 
at  the  office  bright  and  early,  and  stood  chat- 
ting with  each  other,  and  fingering  the  keys 
of  their  little  drawers  till  the  rattle  of  the 
shutter  announced  that  the  mail  was  distrib- 
uted. Their  wives  and  daughters  at  home, 
meanwhile,  were  equally  in  a  state  of  expec- 
tation, and  whatever  they  might  be  doing 
kept  ears  and  eyes  on  the  alert  for  the  step 
on  the  gravel  and  the  click  of  the  latch  which 
betokened  the  arrival  of  the  family  news- 
bringer. 


30  CLOVER. 

Doctors  cannot  command  their  time  like 
other  people,  and  Dr.  Carr  was  often  detained 
by  his  patients,  and  made  late  for  the  mail, 
so  it  was  all  the  pleasanter  a  surprise  when 
on  the  great  day  of  the  cake-baking  he  came 
in  earlier  than  usual,  with  his  hands  quite  full 
of  letters  and  parcels.  All  the  girls  made  a 
rush  for  him  at  once ;  but  he  fended  them  off 
with  an  elbow,  while  with  teasing  slowness 
he  read  the  addresses  on  the  envelopes. 

"  Miss  Carr  —  Miss  Carr  —  Miss  Katherine 
Carr  —  Miss  Carr  again ;  four  for  you,  Katy. 
Dr.  P.  Carr,  —  a  bill  and  a  newspaper,  I  per- 
ceive ;  all  that  an  old  country  doctor  with  a 
daughter  about  to  be  married  ought  to  expect, 
I  suppose.  Miss  Clover  E.  Carr,  —  one  for  the 
'  Confidante  in  white  linen.'  Here,  take  it, 
Clovy.  Miss  Carr  again.  Katy,  you  have 
the  lion's  share.  Miss  Joanna  Carr,  —  in 
the  unmistakable  handwriting  of  Miss  Inches. 
Miss  Katherine  Carr,  care  Dr.  Carr.  That 
looks  like  a  wedding  present,  Katy.  Miss 
Elsie  Carr ;  Cecy's  hand,  I  should  say.  Miss 
Carr  once  more,  —  from  the  conquering  hero, 


THE  DAY  OP  HAPPY  LETTERS.     31 

judging  from  the  post-mark.  Dr.  Carr,  —  an- 
other newspaper,  and  —  hollo  !  —  one  more 
for  Miss  Carr.  Well,  children,  I  hope  for  once 
you  are  satisfied  with  the  amount  of  your  cor- 
respondence. My  arm  fairly  aches  with  the 
weight  of  it.  I  hope  the  letters  are  not  so 
heavy  inside  as  out.'* 

"I  am  quite  satisfied,  Papa,  thank  you," 
said  Katy,  looking  up  with  a  happy  smile 
from  Ned's  letter,  which  she  had  torn  open 
first  of  all.  "Are  you  going,  dear?"  She 
laid  her  packages  down  to  help  him  on  with 
his  coat.  Katy  never  forgot  her  father. 

"  Yes,  I  am  going.  Time  and  rheumatism 
wait  for  no  man.  You  can  tell  me  your  news 
when  I  come  back." 

It  is  not  fair  to  peep  into  love  letters,  so  1 
.flll  only  say  of  Ned's  that  it  was  very  long, 
very  entertaining,  —  Katy  thought,  —  and 
contained  the  pleasant  information  that  the 
"  Natchitoches  "  was  to  sail  four  days  after  it 
was  posted,  and  would  reach  New  York  a  week 
sooner  than  any  one  had  dared  to  hope.  The 
letter  contained  several  other  things  as  well, 


32  CLOVER. 

which  showed  Katy  how  continually  she  had 
been  in  his  thoughts,  —  a  painting  on  rice 
paper,  a  dried  flower  or  two,  a  couple  of  little 
pen-and-ink  sketches  of  the  harbor  of  Santa 
Lucia  and  the  shipping,  and  a  small  cravat 
of  an  odd  convent  lace  folded  very  flat  and 
smooth.  Altogether  it  was  a  delightful  letter, 
and  Katy  read  it,  as  it  were,  in  leaps,  her 
eyes  catching  at  the  salient  points,  and  leav- 
ing the  details  to  be  dwelt  upon  when  she 
should  be  alone. 

This  done,  she  thrust  the  letter  into  her 
pocket,  and  proceeded  to  examine  the  others. 
The  first  was  in  Cousin  Helen's  clear,  beauti- 
ful handwriting :  — 

DEAR  KATY,  —  If  any  one  had  told  us  ten  years 
ago  that  in  this  particular  year  of  grace  you  would 
be  getting  ready  to  be  married,  and  I  preparing  to 
come  to  your  wedding,  I  think  we  should  have  lis- 
tened with  some  incredulity,  as  to  an  agreeable 
fairy  tale  which  could  not  possibly  come  true.  We 
did  n't  look  much  like  it,  did  we,  —  you  in  your 
big  chair  and  I  on  my  sofa  ?  Yet  here  we  are ! 
When  your  letter  first  reached  me  it  seemed  a  sort 


THE  DAY  OP  HAPPY  LETTERS.     33 

of  impossible  thing  that  I  should  accept  your  invi- 
tation ;  but  the  more  I  thought  about  it  the  more 
I  felt  as  if  I  must,  and  now  things  seem  to  be 
working  round  to  that  end  quite  marvellously.  I 
have  had  a  good  winter,  but  the  doctor  wishes 
me  to  try  the  experiment  of  the  water  cure  again 
which  benefited  me  so  much  the  summer  of  your 
accident.  This  brings  me  in  your  direction  ;  and 
I  don't  see  why  I  might  not  come  a  little  earlier 
than  I  otherwise  should,  and  have  the  great  pleas- 
ure of  seeing  you  married,  and  making  acquaint- 
ance with  Lieutenant  Worthington.  That  is,  if 
you  are  perfectly  sure  that  to  have  ai  so  busy  a 
time  a  guest  who,  like  the  Queen  of  Spain,  has 
the  disadvantage  of  being  without  legs,  will  not  be 
more  care  than  enjoyment.  Think  seriously  over 
this  point,  and  don't  send  for  me  unless  you  are 
certain.  Meanwhile,  I  am  making  ready.  Alex 
and  Emma  and  little  Helen  —  who  is  a  pretty  big 
Helen  now  —  are  to  be  my  escorts  as  far  as  Buffalo 
on  their  way  to  Niagara.  After  that  is  all  plain 
sailing,  and  Jane  Carter  and  I  can  manage  very 
'well  for  ourselves.  It  seems  like  a  dream  to  think 
that  I  may  see  you  all  so  soon;  but  it  is  such  a 
pleasant  one  that  I  would  not  wake  up  on  any 
account. 

8 


34  CLOVER. 

I  have  a  little  gift  which  I  shall  bring  you  my- 
self,  my  Katy ;  but  I  have  a  fancy  also  that  you 
shall  wear  some  trifling  thing  on  your  wedding-day 
which  comes  from  me,  so  for  fear  of  being  fore- 
stalled I  will  say  now,  please  don't  buy  any  stock- 
ings for  the  occasion,  but  wear  the  pair  which  go 
with  this,  for  the  sake  of  your  loving 

COUSIN  HELEN. 

"  These  must  be  they,"  cried  Elsie,  pounc- 
ing on  one  of  the  little  packages.  "  May  I 
cut  the  string,  Katy  ?  " 

Permission  was  granted ;  and  Elsie  cut  the 
string.  It  was  indeed  a  pair  of  beautiful 
white  silk  stockings  embroidered  in  an  open 
pattern,  and  far  finer  than  anything  which 
Katy  would  have  thought  of  choosing  for 
herself. 

"  Don't  they  look  exactly  like  Cousin 
Helen  ? "  she  said,  fondling  them.  "  Her 
things  always  are  choicer  and  prettier  than 
anybody's  else,  somehow.  I  can't  think  how 
she  does  it,  when  she  never  by  any  chance 
goes  into  a  shop.  Who  can  this  be  from,  I 
wonder  ?  " 


THE  DAT  OF  HAPPY  LETTERS.     35 

"  This  "  was  the  second  little  package.  It 
proved  to  contain  a  small  volume  bound  in 
white  and  gold,  entitled,  "  Advice  to  Brides." 
On  the  fly-leaf  appeared  this  inscription :  — 

To  Katherine  Carr,  on  the  occasion  of  her  ap- 
proaching bridal,  from  her  affectionate  teacher, 

MARIANNE  NIPSON. 
1  Timothy,  ii.  11. 

Clover  at  once  ran  to  fetch  her  Testament 
that  she  might  verify  the  quotation,  and  an- 
nounced with  a  shriek  of  laughter  that  it  was : 
"  Let  the  women  learn  in  silence  with  all  sub- 
jection ; "  while  Katy,  much  diverted,  read 
extracts  casually  selected  from  the  work,  such 
as :  "A  wife  should  receive  her  husband's 
decree  without  cavil  or  question,  remem- 
bering that  the  husband  is  the  head  of  the 
wife,  and  that  in  all  matters  of  dispute  his 
opinion  naturally  and  scripturally  outweighs 
her  own." 

Or :  "  '  A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath/ 
If  your  husband  comes  home  fretted  and  im- 
patient, do  not  answer  him  sharply,  but  soothe 


36  CLOVER. 

him  with  gentle  words  and  caresses.  Strict  at- 
tention to  the  minor  details  of  domestic  man- 
agement will  often  avail  to  secure  peace." 

And  again :  "  Keep  in  mind  the  epitaph 
raised  in  honor  of  an  exemplary  wife  of  the 
last  century,  — '  She  never  banged  the  door.' 
Qualify  yourself  for  a  similar  testimonial." 

"  Tanta  never  does  bang  doors,"  remarked 
Amy,  who  had  come  in  as  this  last  "elegant 
extract"  was  being  read. 

"  No,  that 's  true ;  she  does  n't,"  said  Clover. 
"  Her  prevailing  vice  is  to  leave  them  open. 
I  like  that  truth  about  a  good  dinner  '  avail- 
ing '  to  secure  peace,  and  the  advice  to  '  ca- 
ress' your  bear  when  he  is  at  his  Grossest. 
Ned  never  does  issue  *  decrees,'  though,  I 
fancy ;  and  on  the  whole,  Katy,  I  don't  be- 
lieve Mrs.  Nipson's  present  is  going  to  be 
any  particular  comfort  in  your  future  trials. 
Do  read  something  else  to  take  the  taste 
out  of  our  mouths.  We  will  listen  in  ( all 
subjection.' ' 

Katy  was  already  deep  in  a  long  epistle 
from  Rose, 


THE  DAY  OF  HAPPY  LETTEKS.     37 

"  This  is  too  delicious,"  she  said ;  "  dc 
listen."  And  she  began  again  at  the  begin* 
ning :  — 

MY  SWEETEST  OP  ALL  OLD  SWEETS,  —  Come  to 
your  wedding  !  Of  course  I  shall.  It  would  never 
seem  to  me  to  have  any  legal  sanction  whatever  if 
I  were  not  there  to  add  my  blessing.  Only  let  me 
know  which  day  "  early  in  June  "  it  is  to  be,  that  I 
may  make  ready.  Deniston  will  fetch  us  on,  and 
by  a  special  piece  of  good  luck,  a  man  in  Chicago  — 
whose  name  I  shall  always  bless  if  only  I  can  re- 
member what  it  is  —  has  been  instigated  by  our 
mutual  good  angel  to  want  him  on  business  just 
about  that  time ;  so  that  he  would  have  to  go  West 
anyway,  and  would  rather  have  me  along  than 
not,  and  is  perfectly  resigned  to  his  fate.  I  mean 
to  come  three  days  before,  and  stay  three  days  after 
the  wedding,  if  I  may,  and  altogether  it  is  going 
to  be  a  lark  of  larks.  Little  Rose  can  talk  quite 
fluently  now,  and  almost  read ;  that  is,  she  knows 
six  letters  of  her  picture  alphabet.  She  com- 
poses poems  also.  The  other  day  she  suddenly 
announced,  — 

"  Mamma,  I  have  made  up  a  sort  of  a  im.  May 
I  say  it  to  you  ? " 

I  naturally  consented,  and  this  was  the 


38  CLOVER. 

IM. 

Jump  in  the  parlor, 
Jump  in  the  hall, 
God  made  us  all! 

Now  did  you  ever  hear  of  anything  quite  so  dear 
as  that,  for  a  baby  only  three  years  and  five  months 
old?  I  tell  you  she  is  a  wonder.  You  will  all 
3,dore  her,  Clover  particularly.  Oh,  my  dear  little 
C. !  To  think  I  am  going  to  see  her ! 

I  met  both  Ellen  Gray  and  Esther  Dearborn  the 
other  day,  and  where  do  you  think  it  was  ?  At 
Mary  Silver's  wedding !  Yes,  she  is  actually  mar- 
ried to  the  Rev.  Charles  Playfair  Strothers,  and  set- 
tled in  a  little  parsonage  somewhere  in  the  Hoosac 
Tunnel,  —  or  near  it,  —  and  already  immersed  in 
"  duties."  I  can't  think  what  arguments  he  used 
to  screw  her  up  to  the  rash  act ;  but  there  she  is. 

It  was  n't  exactly  what  one  would  call  a  cheerful 
wedding.  All  the  connection  took  it  very  seriously ; 
and  Mary's  uncle,  who  married  her,  preached  quite 
a  lengthy  funeral  discourse  to  the  young  couple, 
and  got  them  nicely  ready  for  death,  burial,  and 
the  next  world,  before  he  would  consent  to  unite 
them  for  this.  He  was  a  solemn-looking  old  person, 
who  had  been  a  missionary,  and  "  had  laid  away 
three  dear  wives  in  foreign  lands,"  as  he  confided 
to  me  afterward  over  a  plate  of  ice-cream.  He 


THE  DAT  OF  HAPPY  LETTERS.     39 

seemed  to  me  to  be  "  taking  notice,"  as  they  say  of 
babies,  and  it  is  barely  possible  that  he  mistook 
me  for  a  single  woman,  for  his  attentions  were 
rather  pronounced  till  I  introduced  my  husband 
prominently  into  conversation ;  after  that  he 
seemed  more  attracted  by  Ellen  Gray. 

Mary  cried  straight  through  the  ceremony.  In 
fact,  I  imagine  she  cried  straight  through  the  en- 
gagement, for  her  eyes  looked  wept  out  and  had 
scarlet  rims,  and  she  was  as  white  as  her  veil.  In 
fact,  whiter,  for  that  was  made  of  beautiful  point 
de  Venise,  and  was  just  a  trifle  yellowish.  Every- 
body cried.  Her  mother  and  sister  sobbed  aloud, 
so  did  several  maiden  aunts  and  a  grandmother  or 
two  and  a  few  cousins.  The  church  resounded 
with  guggles  and  gasps,  like  a  great  deal  of  bath- 
water running  out  of  an  ill-constructed  tub.  Mr. 
Silver  also  wept,  as  a  business  man  may,  in  a  series 
of  sniffs  interspersed  with  silk  handkerchief;  you 
know  the  kind.  Altogether  it  was  a  most  cheerless 
affair.  I  seemed  to  be  the  only  person  present  who 
was  not  in  tears  ;  but  I  really  did  n't  see  anything 
to  cry  about,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  though  I 
felt  very  hard-hearted. 

I  had  to  go  alone,  for  Deniston  was  in  New  York. 
I  got  to  the  church  rather  early,  and  my  new  spring 
bonnet  —  which  is  a  superior  one  —  seemed  to  in* 


40  CLOVER. 

press  the  ushers,  so  they  put  me  in  a  very  distin- 
guished front  pew  all  by  myself.  I  bore  my  honors 
meekly,  and  found  them  quite  agreeable,  in  fact,  — 
you  know  I  always  did  like  to  be  made  much  of,  — 
so  you  can  imagine  my  disgust  when  presently 
three  of  the  stoutest  ladies  you  ever  saw  came  sail- 
ing up  the  aisle,  and  prepared  to  invade  my  pew. 

"  Please  move  up,  Madam,"  said  the  fattest  of 
all,  who  wore  a  wonderful  yellow  hat. 

But  I  was  not  "  raised  "  at  Hillsover  for  nothing, 
and  remembering  the  success  of  our  little  ruse  on 
the  railroad  train  long  ago,  I  stepped  out  into  the 
aisle,  and  with  my  sweetest  smile  made  room  for 
them  to  pass. 

"  Perhaps  I  would  better  keep  the  seat  next  the 
door,"  I  murmured  to  the  yellow  lady,  "in  case 
an  attack  should  come  on." 

"  An  attack !  "  she  repeated  in  an  accent  of  alarm. 
She  whispered  to  the  others.  All  three  eyed  me 
suspiciously,  while  I  stood  looking  as  pensive  and 
suffering  as  I  could.  Then  after  confabulating  to- 
gether for  a  little,  they  all  swept  into  the  seat  behind 
mine,  and  I  heard  them  speculating  in  low  tones  as 
to  whether  it  was  epilepsy  or  catalepsy  or  convul- 
sions that  I  was  subject  to.  I  presume  they  made 
signs  to  all  the  other  people  who  came  in  to  steer 
clear  of  the  lady  with  fits,  for  nobody  invaded  my 


THE  DAY  OF  HAPPY  LETTERS.     41 

privacy,  and  I  sat  in  lonely  splendor  with  a  pew 
to  myself,  and  was  very  comfortable  indeed. 

Mary's  dress  was  white  satin,  with  a  great  deal  of 
point  lace  and  pearl  passementerie,  and  she  wore 
a  pair  of  diamond  ear-rings  which  her  father  gave 
her,  and  a  bouquet  almost  but  not  quite  as  large, 
which  was  the  gift  of  the  bridegroom.  He  has  a 
nice  face,  and  1  think  Silvery  Mary  will  be  happy 
with  him,  much  happier  than  with  her  rather  dis- 
mal family,  though  his  salary  is  only  fifteen  hun- 
dred a  year,  and  pearl  passementerie,  I  believe,  quite 
unknown  and  useless  in  the  Hoosac  region.  She 
had  loads  of  the  most  beautiful  presents  you  ever 
saw.  All  the  Silvers  are  rolling  in  riches,  you  know. 
One  little  thing  made  me  laugh,  for  it  was  so  like 
her.  When  the  clergyman  said,  "  Mary,  wilt  thou 
take  this  man  to  be  thy  wedded  husband  ? "  I  distinct- 
ly saw  her  put  her  fingers  over  her  mouth  in  the 
old,  frightened  way.  It  was  only  for  a  second,  and 
after  that  I  rather  think  Mr.  Strothers  held  her 
hand  tight  for  fear  she  might  do  it  again.  She  sent 
he  love  to  you,  Katy.  What  sort  of  a  gown  are  you 
going  to  have,  by  the  way  ? 

I  have  kept  my  best  news  to  the  last,  which  is 
that  Deniston  has  at  last  given  way,  and  we  are  to 
move  into  town  in  October.  We  have  taken  a  little 
house  in  West  Cedar  Street.  It  is  quite  small  and 


42  CLOVER. 

very  dingy  and  I  presume  inconvenient,  but  I  already 
love  it  to  distraction,  and  feel  as  if  I  should  sit  up 
all  night  for  the  first  month  to  enjoy  the  sensation 
of  being  no  longer  that  horrid  thing,  a  resident  of 
the  suburbs.  I  hunt  the  paper  shops  and  collect 
samples  of  odd  and  occult  pattern,  and  compare 
them  with  carpets,  and  am  altogether  in  my  ele- 
ment, only  longing  for  the  time  to  come  when  I 
may  put  together  my  pots  and  pans  and  betake 
me  across  the  mill-dam.  Meantime,  Roslein  is 
living  in  a  state  of  quarantine.  She  is  not  per- 
mitted to  speak  with  any  other  children,  or  even 
to  look  out  of  window  at  one,  for  fear  she  may 
contract  some  sort  of  contagious  disease,  and  spoil 
our  beautiful  visit  to  Burnet.  She  sends  you  a 
kiss,  and  so  do  I ;  and  mother  and  Sylvia  and 
Deniston  and  grandmamma,  particularly,  desire 
their  love.  Your  loving 

ROSE  RED. 

"  Oh,"  cried  Clover,  catching  Katy  round 
the  waist,  and  waltzing  wildly  about  the  room, 
"  what  a  delicious  letter !  What  fun  we  are 
going  to  have  !  It  seems  too  good  to  be  true. 
Tum-ti-ti,  tum-ti-ti.  Keep  step,  Katy.  I  for- 
give you  for  the  first  time  for  getting  married. 


THE  DAY  OP  HAPPY  LETTERS.      43 

I  never  did  before,  really  and  truly.  Tum-ti- 
ti ;  I  am  so  happy  that  I  must  dance  !  " 

"  There  go  my  letters,"  said  Katy,  as  with 
the  last  rapid  twirl,  Rose's  many-sheeted  epis- 
tle and  the  "  Advice  to  Brides "  flew  to  right 
and  left.  "  There  go  two  of  your  hair-pins,  Clo- 
ver. Oh,  do  stop ;  we  shall  all  be  in  pieces." 

Clover  brought  her  gyrations  to  a  close  by 
landing  her  unwilling  partner  suddenly  on  the 
sofa.  Then  with  a  last  squeeze  and  a  rapid 
kiss  she  began  to  pick  up  the  scattered 
letters. 

"  Now  read  the  rest,"  she  commanded, 
"  though  anything  else  will  sound  flat  after 
Rose's." 

"Hear  this  first,"  said  Elsie,  who  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  pause  to  open  her  own  letter. 
"  It  is  from  Cecy,  and  she  says  she  is  coming 
to  spend  a  month  with  her  mother  on  purpose 
to  be  here  for  Katy's  wedding.  She  sends 
heaps  of  love  to  you,  Katy,  and  says  she  only 
hopes  that  Mr.  Worthington  will  prove  as 
perfectly  satisfactory  in  all  respects  as  her  own 
dear  Sylvester." 


44  CLOVER. 

"My  gracious,  I  should  hope  he  would," 
put  in  Clover,  who  was  still  in  the  wildest 
spirits.  "  What  a  dear  old  goose  Cecy  is !  I 
never  hankered  in  the  least  for  Sylvester 
Slack,  did  you,  Katy  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  It  would  be  a  most  im- 
proper proceeding  if  I  had,"  replied  Katy,  with 
a  laugh.  "  Whom  do  you  think  this  letter  is 
from,  girls  ?  Do  listen  to  it.  It 's  written  by 
that  nice  old  Mr.  Allen  Beach,  whom  we  met 
in  London.  Don't  you  recollect  my  telling 
you  about  him?" 

MY  DEAR  Miss  CAER,  —  Our  friends  in  Harley 
Street  have  told  me  a  piece  of  news  concerning  you 
which  came  to  them  lately  in  a  letter  from  Mrs. 
Ashe,  and  I  hope  you  will  permit  me  to  offer  you 
my  most  sincere  congratulations  and  good  wishes. 
I  recollect  meeting  Lieutenant  Worthington  when  he 
was  here  two  years  ago,  and  liking  him  very  much. 
One  is  always  glad  in  a  foreign  land  to  be  able  to 
show  so  good  a  specimen  of  one's  young  country- 
men as  he  affords, — not  that  England  need  be 
counted  as  a  foreign  country  by  any  American,  and 
least  of  all  by  myself,  who  have  found  it  a  true  home 
for  so  many  years. 


THE  DAY  OF  HAPPY  LETTERS.      45 

As  a  little  souvenir  of  our  week'  of  sight- 
seeing together,  of  which  I  retain  most  agreeable 
remembrances,  I  have  sent  you  by  my  friends  the 
Sawyers,  who  sail  for  America  shortly,  a  copy  of 
Hare's  "Walks  in  London,"  which  a  young  prot£g$e 
of  mine  has  for  the  past  year  been  illustrating  with 
photographs  of  the  many  curious  old  buildings  de- 
scribed. You  took  so  much  interest  in  them  while 
here  that  I  hope  you  may  like  to  see  them  again. 
Will  you  please  accept  with  it  my  most  cordial 
wishes  for  your  future,  and  believe  me 
Very  faithfully  your  friend, 

ALLEN  BEACH. 


a  nice  letter  !  "  said  Clover. 

"  Is  n't  it  ?  "  replied  Katy,  with  shining  eyes, 
"  what  a  thing  it  is  to  be  a  gentleman,  and  to 
know  how  to  say  and  do  things  in  the  right 
way  !  I  am  so  surprised  and  pleased  that  Mr. 
Beach  should  remember  me.  I  never  sup- 
posed he  would,  he  sees  so  many  people  in 
London  all  the  time,  and  it  is  quite  a  long 
time  since  we  were  there,  nearly  two  years. 
Was  your  letter  from  Miss  Inches,  John  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  Mamma  Marian  sends  you  her 
love  j  and  there  's  a  present  coming  by 


46  CLOVER. 

express  for  you,  —  some  sort  of  a  book  with 
a  hard  name.  I  can  scarcely  make  it  out, 
the  Ru — ru —  something  of  Omar  Kay — y — 
Well,  anyway  it's  a  book,  and  she  hopes  you 
will  read  Emerson's  '  Essay  on  Friendship  ' 
over  before  you  are  married,  because  it 's  a 
helpful  utterance,  and  adjusts  the  mind  to 
mutual  conditions." 

"Worse  than  1  Timothy,  ii.  11,"  mut- 
tered Clover.  "  Well,  Katy  dear,  what  next  ? 
What  are  you  laughing  at?" 

"  You  will  never  guess,  I  am  sure.  This  is 
a  letter  from  Miss  Jane  !  And  she  has  made 
me  this  pincushion  !  " 

The  pincushion  was  of  a  familiar  type,  two 
circles  of  pasteboard  covered  with  gray  silk, 
neatly  over-handed  together,  and  stuck  with 
a  row  of  closely  fitting  pins.  Miss  Jane's  note 
ran  as  follows :  — 

HILLSOVER,  April  21. 

DEAR  KATY,  —  I  hear  from  Mrs.  Nipson  that  you 
are  to  be  married  shortly,  and  I  want  to  say  that 
you  have  my  best  wishes  for  your  future.  I  think  a 
man  ought  to  be  happy  who  has  you  for  a  wife.  I 


THE  DAY  OF  HAPPY  LETTERS.     47 

only  hope  the  one  you  have  chosen  is  worthy  of  you. 
Probably  he  is  n't,  but  perhaps  you  won't  find  it  out. 
Life  is  a  knotty  problem  for  most  of  us.  May  you 
solve  it  satisfactorily  to  yourself  and  others  !  I  have 
nothing  to  send  but  my  good  wishes  and  a  few  pins. 
They  are  not  an  unlucky  present,  I  believe,  as  scis- 
sors are  said  to  be. 

Remember  me  to  your  sister,  and  believe  me  to 
be  with  true  regard, 

Yours,  JANE  A.  BANGS. 

"  Dear  me,  is  that  her  name  ?  "  cried  Clover. 
"  I  always  supposed  she  was  baptized  i  Miss 
Jane.'  It  never  occurred  to  me  that  she  had 
any  other  title.  What  appropriate  initials ! 
How  she  used  to  J.  A.  B.  with  us !  " 

"  Now,  Clovy,  that 's  not  kind.  It 's  a  very 
nice  note  indeed,  and  I  am  touched  by  it.  It 's 
a  beautiful  compliment  to  say  that  the  man 
ought  to  be  happy  who  has  got  me,  I  think. 
I  never  supposed  that  Miss  Jane  could  pay  a 
compliment." 

"  Or  make  a  joke  !  That  touch  about  the 
scissors  is  really  jocose,  —  for  Miss  Jane. 
Rose  Red  will  shriek  over  the  letter  and  that 


48  CLOVER. 

particularly  rigid  pincushion.  They  are  both 
of  them  so  exactly  like  her.  Dear  me  !  only 
one  letter  left.  Who  is  that  from,  Katy? 
How  fast  one  does  eat  up  one's  pleasures !  " 

"  But  you  had  a  letter  yourself.  Surely  papa 
said  so.  What  was  that?  You  have  n't  read 
it  to  us." 

"  No.  for  it  contains  a  secret  which  you  are 
not  to  hear  just  yet,"  replied  Clover.  "  Brides 
mustn't  ask  questions.  Go  on  with  yours." 

"  Mine  is  from  Louisa  Agnew,  —  quite  a 
long  one,  too.  It's  an  age  since  we  heard 
from  her,  you  know." 

ASHBURN,  April  24. 

DEAR  KATY,  —  Your  delightful  letter  and  invita- 
tion came  day  before  yesterday,  and  thank  you  for 
both.  There  is  nothing  in  the  world  that  would 
please  me  better  than  to  come  to  your  wedding  if  it 
were  possible,  but  it  simply  is  n't.  If  you  lived  in 
New  Haven  now,  or  even  Boston,  —  but  Burnet  is 
'so  dreadfully  far  off,  it  seems  as  inaccessible  as 
Kamchatka  to  a  person  who,  like  myself,  has  a 
house  to  keep  and  two  babies  to  take  care  of. 

Don't  look  so  alarmed.  The  house  is  the  same 
house  you  saw  when  you  were  here,  and  so  is  one 


THE  DAY  OF  HAPPY  LETTEES.     49 

of  the  babies ;  the  other  is  P  new  acquisition  just 
two  years  old,  and  as  great  %  darling  as  Daisy  was 
at  the  same  age.  My  mother  has  been  really  better 
in  health  since  he  came,  but  just  now  she  is  at  a  sort 
of  Rest  Cure  in  Kentucky ;  and  I  have  my  hands 
full  with  papa  and  the  children,  as  you  can  imagine, 
so  I  can't  go  off  two  days'  journey  to  a  wedding,  — 
not  even  to  yours,  my  dearest  old  Katy.  I  shall 
think  about  you  all  day  long  on  the  day,  when  I 
know  which  it  is,  and  try  to  imagine  just  how 
everything  looks;  and  yet  I  don't  find  that  quite 
easy,  for  somehow  I  fancy  that  your  wedding  will 
be  a  little  different  from  the  common  run.  You 
always  were  different  from  other  people  to  me, 
you  know,  —  you  and  Clover,  —  and  I  love  you 
so  much,  and  I  always  shall. 

Papa  has  taken  a  kit-kat  portrait  of  me  in  oils, 
—  and  a  blue  dress,  —  which  he  thinks  is  like,  and 
which  I  am  going  to  send  you  as  soon  as  it  comes 
home  from  the  framers.  I  hope  you  will  like  it 
a  little  for  my  sake.  Dear  Katy,  I  send  so  much 
love  with  it. 

I  have  only  seen  the  Pages  in  the  street  since 
they  came  home  from  Europe ;  but  the  last  piece 
of  news  here  is  Lilly's  engagement  to  Comte  Ernest 
de  Conflans.  He  has  something  to  do  with  the 
French  legation  in  Washington,  I  believe;  and 


50  CLOVEfl. 

they  crossed  in  the  same  steamer.  I  saw  him 
driving  with  her  the  other  day,  —  a  L'ttle  man,  not 
handsome,  and  very  dark.  I  do  not  know  when 
they  are  to  be  married.  Your  Cousin  Clarence  is 
in  Colorado. 

With  two  kisses  apiece  and  a  great  hug  for  you, 
Katy,  I  am  always 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

LOUISA. 

"  Dear  me ! "  said  the  insatiable  Clover, "  is 
that  the  very  last?  I  wish  we  had  another 
mail,  and  twelve  more  letters  coming  in  at 
once.  What  a  blessed  institution  the  post- 
office  is ! " 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   FIRST   WEDDING  IN  THE   FAMILY. 

|HE  great  job  of  the  cake-making 
over,  a  sense  of  leisure  settled  on 
the  house.  There  seemed  nothing 
left  to  be  done  which  need  put  any  one  out 
of  his  or  her  way  particularly.  Katy  had 
among  her  other  qualities  a  great  deal  of 
what  is  called  "  forehandedness."  To  leave 
things  to  be  attended  to  at  the  last  moment 
in  a  flurry  and  a  hurry  would  have  been  in- 
tolerable to  her.  She  firmly  believed  in  the 
doctrine  of  a  certain  wise  man  of  our  own 
day  who  says  that  to  push  your  work  before 
you  is  easy  enough,  but  to  pull  it  after  you  is 
very  hard  indeed. 

All  that  winter,  without  saying  much  About 
it,  —  for  Katy  did  not  "  do  her  thinking 
outside  her  head,"  —  she  had  been  gradually 


52  CLOVER. 

making  ready  for  the  great  event  of  the 
spring.  Little  by  little,  a  touch  here  and  a 
touch  there,  matters  had  been  put  in  train, 
and  the  result  now  appeared  in  a  surprising 
ease  of  mind  and  absence  of  confusion.  The 
house  had  received  its  spring  cleaning  a  fort- 
night earlier  than  usual,  and  was  in  fair, 
nice  order,  with  freshly -beaten  carpets  and 
newly-washed  curtains.  Katy's  dresses  were 
ordered  betimes,  and  had  come  home,  been 
tried  on,  and  folded  away  ten  days  before  the 
wedding.  They  were  not  many  in  number, 
but  all  were  pretty  and  in  good  taste,  for  the 
frigate  was  to  be  in  Bar  Harbor  and  Newport 
for  a  part  of  the  summer,  and  Katy  wanted  to 
do  Ned  credit,  and  look  well  in  his  eyes  and 
those  of  his  friends. 

All  the  arrangements,  kept  studiously  sim- 
ple, were  beautifully  systematized ;  and  their 
very  simplicity  made  them  easy  to  carry  out. 
The  guest  chambers  were  completely  ready, 
one  or  two  extra  helpers  were  engaged  that 
the  servants  might  not  be  overworked,  the 
order  of  every  meal  for  the  three  busiest  days 


THE   FIRST    WEDDING   IN   THE    FAMILY.       53 

was  settled  and  written  down.  Each  of  the 
younger  sisters  had  some  special  charge  com- 
mitted to  her.  Elsie  was  to  wait  on  Cousin 
Helen,  and  see  that  she  and  her  nurse  had 
everything  they  wanted.  Clover  was  to  care 
for  the  two  Roses ;  Johnnie  to  oversee  the 
table  arrangements,  and  make  sure  that  all 
was  right  in  that  direction.  Dear  little  Amy 
was  indefatigable  as  a  doer  of  errands,  and 
her  quick  feet  were  at  everybody's  service  to 
"  save  steps."  Cecy  arrived,  and  haunted  the 
house  all  day  long,  anxious  to  be  of  use  to 
somebody;  Mrs.  Ashe  put  her  time  at  their 
disposal ;  there  was  such  a  superabundance  of 
helpers,  in  fact,  that  no  one  could  feel  over 
taxed.  And  Katy,  while  still  serving  as  main 
spring  to  the  whole,  had  plenty  of  time  to 
write  her  notes,  open  her  wedding  presents, 
and  enjoy  her  friends  in  a  leisurely,  unfa- 
tigued  fashion  which  was  a  standing  wonder- 
ment to  Cecy,  whose  own  wedding  had  been 
of  the  onerous  sort,  and  had  worn  her  to  skin 
and  bone. 

"  I  am  only  just  beginning  to  recover  from 


54  CLOVER. 

it  now,"  she  remarked  plaintively,  "  and  there 
you  sit,  Katy,  looking  as  fresh  as  a  rose ;  not 
tired  a  bit,  and  never  seeming  to  have  any- 
thing on  your  mind.  I  can't  think  how  you 
do  it.  I  never  was  at  a  wedding  before  where 
everybody  was  not  perfectly  worn  out." 

"  You  never  were  at  such  a  simple  wedding 
before,"  explained  Katy.  "I'm  not  ambi- 
tious, you  see.  I  want  to  keep  things  pretty 
much  as  they  are  every  day,  only  with  a  lit- 
tle more  of  everything  because  of  there  being 
more  people  to  provide  for.  If  I  were  at- 
tempting to  make  it  a  beautiful,  picturesque 
wedding,  we  should  get  as  tired  as  anybody, 
I  have  no  doubt." 

Katy's  gifts  were  numerous  enough  to  sat- 
isfy even  Clover,  and  comprised  all  manner 
of  things,  from  a  silver  tray  which  came,  with 
a  rather  stiff  note,  from  Mrs.  Page  and  Lilly, 
to  Mary's  new  flour-scoop,  Debby's  sifter, 
and  a  bottle  of  home-made  hair  tonic  from 
an  old  woman  in  the  "  County  Home."  Each 
of  the  brothers  and  sisters  had  made  her 
something.  Katy  having  expressed  a  prefer- 


THE   FIRST   WEDDING  IN   THE   FAMILY.      55 

ence  for  presents  of  home  manufacture.  Mrs. 
Ashe  gave  her  a  beautiful  sapphire  ring,  and 
Cecy  Hall  —  as  they  still  called  her  inadver- 
tently half  the  time  —  an  elaborate  sofa-pillow 
embroidered  by  herself.  Katy  liked  all  her 
gifts,  both  large  and  small,  both  for  what  they 
were  and  for  what  they  meant,  and  took  a 
good  healthy,  hearty  satisfaction  in  the  fact 
that  so  many  people  cared  for  her,  and  had 
worked  to  give  her  a  pleasure. 

Cousin  Helen  was  the  first  guest  to  arrive, 
five  days  before  the  wedding.  When  Dr. 
Carr,  who  had  gone  to  Buffalo  to  meet  and 
escort  her  down,  lifted  her  from  the  carriage 
and  carried  her  indoors,  all  of  them  could 
easily  have  fancied  that  it  was  the  first  visit 
happening  over  again,  for  she  looked  exactly 
as  she  did  then,  and  scarcely  a  day  older. 
She  happened  to  have  on  a  soft  gray  travel- 
ling dress  too,  much  like  that  which  she  wore 
on  the  previous  occasion,  which  made  the 
illusion  more  complete. 

But  there  was  no  illusion  to  Cousin  Helen 
herself.  Everything  to  her  seemed  changed 


56  CLOVER. 

and  quite  different.  The  ten  years  which  had 
passed  so  lightly  over  her  head  had  made  a 
vast  alteration  in  the  cousins  whom  she  re- 
membered as  children.  The  older  ones  were 
grown  up,  the  younger  ones  in  a  fair  way  to 
be  so;  even  Phil,  who  had  been  in  white 
frocks  with  curls  falling  over  his  shoulders  at 
the  time  of  her  former  visit  to  Burnet,  was 
now  fifteen  and  as  tall  as  his  father.  He  was 
very  slight  in  build,  and  looked  delicate,  she 
thought;  but  Katy  assured  her  that  he  was 
perfectly  well,  and  thin  only  because  he  had 
outgrown  his  strength. 

It  was  one  of  the  delightful  results  of 
Katy's  "  forehandedness  "  that  she  could  com- 
mand time  during  those  next  two  days  to 
thoroughly  enjoy  Cousin  Helen.  She  sat  be- 
side her  sofa  for  hours  at  a  time,  holding  her 
hand  and  talking  with  a  freedom  of  confidence 
such  as  she  could  have  shown  to  no  one  else, 
except  perhaps  to  Clover.  She  had  the  feel- 
ing that  in  so  doing  she  was  rendering  account 
to  a  sort  of  visible  conscience  of  all  the  events, 
the  mistakes,  the  successes,  the  glad  and  the 


THE    FIRST    WEDDING    IN   THE    FAMILY.       57 

sorry  of  the  long  interval  that  had  passed  since 
they  met.  It  was  a  pleasure  and  relief  to  her ; 
and  to  Cousin  Helen  the  recital  was  of  equal 
interest,  for  though  she  knew  the  main  facts 
by  letter,  there  was  a  satisfaction  in  collecting 
the  little  details  which  seldom  get  fully  put 
into  letters. 

One  subject  only  Katy  touched  rather 
guardedly ;  and  that  was  Ned.  She  was  so  de- 
sirous that  her  cousin  should  approve  of  him, 
and  so  anxious  not  to  raise  her  expectations 
and  have  her  disappointed,  that  she  would 
not  half  say  how  very  nice  she  herself  thought 
him  to  be.  But  Cousin  Helen  could  "  read 
between  the  lines,"  and  out  of  Katy's  very 
reserve  she  constructed  an  idea  of  Ned  which 
satisfied  her  pretty  well. 

So  the  two  happy  days  passed,  and  on  the 
third  arrived  the  other  anxiously  expected 
guests,  Rose  Red  and  little  Rose. 

They  came  early  in  the  morning,  when  no 
one  was  particularly  looking  for  them,  which 
made  it  all  the  pleasanter.  Clover  was  on  the 
porch  twisting  the  honeysuckle  tendrils  upon 


58  CLOVER. 

the  trellis  when  the  carriage  drove  up  to  the 
gate,  and  Rose's  sunny  face  popped  out  of  the 
window.  Clover  recognized  her  at  once,  and 
with  a  shriek  which  brought  all  the  others 
downstairs,  flew  down  the  path,  and  had  little 
Rose  in  her  arras  before  any  one  else  could 
get  there. 

"  You  see  before  you  a  deserted  wife,"  was 
Rose's  first  salutation.  "Deniston  has  just 
dumped  us  on  the  wharf,  and  gone  on  to  Chi- 
cago in  that  abominable  boat,  leaving  me  to 
your  tender  mercies.  0  Business,  Business ! 
what  crimes  are  committed  in  thy  name,  as 
Madame  Roland  would  say ! " 

"Never  mind  Deniston,"  cried  Clover,  with 
a  rapturous  squeeze.  "Let  us  play  that  he 
does  n't  exist,  for  a  little  while.  We  have 
got  you  now,  and  we  mean  to  keep  you." 

"How  pleasant  you  look ! "  said  Rose,  glanc- 
ing up  the  locust  walk  toward  the  house, 
which  wore  a  most  inviting  and  hospitable 
air,  with  doors  and  windows  wide  open,  and 
the  soft  wind  fluttering  the  vines  and  the 
white  curtains.  "  Ah,  there  comes  Katy 


THE   FIRST    WEDDING   IN   THE   FAMILY.      59 

now."     She  ran  forward   to  meet  her  while 
Clover  followed  with  little  Rose. 

"  Let  me  det  down,  pease,"  said  that  young 
lady,  —  the  first  remark  she  had  made.  "  I 
tan  walk  all  by  myself.  I  am  not  a  baby  any 
more." 

"  Will  you  hear  her  talk  ? "  cried  Katy, 
catching  her  up.  "  Is  n't  it  wonderful  ?  Rose- 
bud, who  am  I,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  My  Aunt  Taty,  I  dess,  betause  you  is  so 
big.  Is  you  mawwied  yet  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed.  Did  you  think  I  would  get 
'  mawwied '  without  you  ?  I  have  been  waiting 
for  you  and  mamma  to  come  and  help  me." 

"  Well,  we  is  here,"  in  a  tone  of  immense 
satisfaction.  "  Now  you  tan." 

The  larger  Rose  meanwhile  was  making  ac- 
quaintance with  the  others.  She  needed  no 
introductions,  but  seemed  to  know  by  instinct 
which  was  each  boy  and  each  girl,  and  to  fit 
the  right  names  to  them  all.  In  five  minutes 
she  seemed  as  much  at  home  as  though  she 
had  spent  her  life  in  Burnet.  They  bore  her 
into  the  house  in  a  sort  of  triumph,  and  up- 


60  CLOVER. 

stairs  to  the  blue  bedroom,  which  Katy  and 
Clover  had  vacated  for  her;  and  such  a  hubbub 
of  talk  and  laughter  presently  issued  there- 
from that  Cousin  Helen,  on  the  other  side  the 
entry,  asked  Jane  to  set  her  door  open  that 
she  might  enjoy  the  sounds,  —  they  were  so 
merry. 

Rose's  bright,  rather  high-pitched  voice  was 
easily  distinguishable  above  the  rest.  She 
was  evidently  relating  some  experience  of  her 
journey,  with  an  occasional  splash  by  way  of 
accompaniment,  which  suggested  that  she 
might  be  washing  her  hands. 

"  Yes,  she  really  has  grown  awfully  pretty ; 
and  she  had  on  the  loveliest  dark-brown  suit 
you  ever  saw,  with  a  fawn-colored  hat,  and 
was  altogether  dazzling ;  and,  do  you  know,  I 
was  really  quite  glad  to  see  her.  I  can't  im- 
agine why,  but  I  was !  I  did  n't  stay  glad 
long,  however." 

"Why  not?  What  did  she  do?"  This 
in  Clover's  voice. 

"  Well,  she  did  n't  do  anything,  but  she  was 
distant  and  disagreeable.  I  scarcely  observed 


THE    FIRST    WEDDING   IN   THE   FAMILY.      61 

it  at  first,  I  was  so  pleased  to  see  one  of  the 
old  Hillsover  girls ;  and  I  went  on  being  very 
cordial.  Then  Lilly  tried  to  put  me  down  by 
running  over  a  list  of  her  fine  acquaintances, 
Lady  this,  and  the  Marquis  of  that,  —  people 
whom  she  and  her  mother  had  known  abroad. 
It  made  me  think  of  my  old  autograph  book 
with  Antonio  de  Vallombrosa,  and  the  rest. 
Do  you  remember  ?  " 

"  Of  course  we  do.     Well,  go  on." 

"  At  last  she  said  something  about  Comte 
Ernest  de  Conflans,  —  I  had  heard  of  him,  per- 
haps ?  He  crossed  in  the  steamer  with 
4  Mamma  and  me,'  it  seems ;  and  we  have  seen 
a  great  deal  of  him.  This  appeared  a  good 
opportunity  to  show  that  I  too  have  relations 
with  the  nobility,  so  I  said  yes,  I  had  met  him 
in  Boston,  and  my  sister  had  seen  a  good  deal 
of  him  in  Washington  last  winter. 

" '  And  what  did  she  think  of  him  ? '  de- 
manded Lilly. 

" i  Well,'  said  I,  '  she  did  n't  seem  to  think  a 
great  deal  about  him.  She  says  all  the  young 
men  at  the  French  legation  seem  more  than 


62  CLOVER. 

usually  foolish,  but  Comte  Ernest  is  the  worst 
of  the  lot.  He  really  does  look  like  an  absolute 
fool,  you  know/ 1  added  pleasantly.  Now,  girls, 
what  was  there  in  that  to  make  her  angry  ? 
Can  you  tell  ?  She  grew  scarlet,  and  glared  as 
if  she  wanted  to  bite  my  head  off;  and  then  she 
turned  her  back  and  would  scarcely  speak  to 
me  again.  Does  she  always  behave  that  way 
when  the  aristocracy  is  lightly  spoken  of?  " 

"  Oh,  Eose,  —  oh,  Rose,"  cried  Clover,  in  fits 
of  laughter,  "  did  you  really  tell  her  that  ?  " 

"  I  really  did.  Why  should  n't  I  ?  Is  there 
any  reason  in  particular  ?  " 

"  Only  that  she  is  engaged  to  him,"  replied 
Katy,  in  an  extinguished  voice. 

"  Good  gracious  !  No  wonder  she  scowled  ! 
This  is  really  dreadful.  But  then  why  did 
she  look  so  black  when  she  asked  where  we 
were  going,  and  I  said  to  your  wedding  ?  That 
did  n't  seem  to  please  her  any  more  than  my 
little  remarks  about  the  nobility." 

"  I  don't  pretend  to  understand.  Lilly,"  said 
Katy,  temperately ;  "  she  is  an  odd  girl." 

"  I  suppose  an  odd  girl  can't  be  expected 


THE   FIRST   WEDDING  IN   THE   FAMILY.      63 

to  have  an  even  temper,"  remarked  Rose, 
apparently  speaking  with  a  hairpin  in  her 
mouth.  "  Well,  I  've  done  for  myself,  that  is 
evident.  I  need  never  expect  any  notice  in 
future  from  the  Comtesse  de  Conflans." 

Cousin  Helen  heard  no  more,  but  pres- 
ently steps  sounded  outside  her  door,  and 
Katy  looked  in  to  ask  if  she  were  dressed,  and 
if  she  might  bring  Rose  in,  a  request  which 
was  gladly  granted.  It  was  a  pretty  sight  to 
see  Rose  with  Cousin  Helen.  She  knew  all 
about  her  already  from  Clover  and  Katy, 
and  fell  at  once  under  the  gentle  spell  which 
seemed  always  to  surround  that  invalid  sofa, 
begged  leave  to  say  "  Cousin  Helen  "  as  the 
others  did,  and  was  altogether  at  her  best  and 
sweetest  when  with  her,  full  of  merriment, 
but  full  too  of  a  deference  and  sympathy 
which  made  her  particularly  charming. 

"  I  never  did  see  anything  so  lovely  in  all 
my  life  before,"  she  told  Clover  in  confidence. 
"  To  watch  her  lying  there  looking  so  radiant 
and  so  peaceful  and  so  interested  in  Katy's 
affairs,  and  never  once  seeming  to  remember 


64  CLOVER. 

that  except  for  that  accident  she  too  would 
have  been  a  bride  and  had  a  wedding  !  It 's 
perfectly  wonderful  !  Do  you  suppose  she 
is  never  sorry  for  herself?  She  seems  the 
merriest  of  us  all." 

"I  don't  think  she  remembers  herself  often 
enough  to  be  sorry.  She  is  always  thinking 
of  some  one  else,  it  seems  to  me." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  to  have  seen  her," 
added  Rose,  in  a  more  serious  tone  than  was 
usual  to  her.  "  She  and  grandmamma  are  of  a 
different  order  of  beings  from  the  rest  of  the 
world.  I  don't  wonder  you  and  Katy  always 
were  so  good ;  you  ought  to  be  with  such  a 
Cousin  Helen." 

"  I  don't  think  we  were  as  good  as  you 
make  us  out,  but  Cousin  Helen  has  really 
been  one  of  the  strong  influences  of  our  lives. 
She  was  the  making  of  Katy,  when  she  had 
that  long  illness ;  and  Katy  has  made  the  rest 
of  us." 

Little  Rose  from  the  first  moment  became 
the  delight  of  the  household,  and  especially  of 
Amy  Ashe,  who  could  not  do  enough  for  her, 


THE   FIRST   WEDDING   IN   THE   FAMILY.      65 

and  took  her  off  her  mother's  hands  so  entire- 
ly that  Rose  complained  that  she  seemed  to 
have  lost  her  child  as  well  as  her  husband. 
She  was  a  sedate  little  maiden,  and  wonder- 
fully wise  for  her  years.  Already,  in  some 
ways  she  seemed  older  than  her  erratic  little 
mother,  of  whom,  in  a  droll  fashion,  she  as- 
sumed a  sort  of  charge.  She  was  a  born 
housewife. 

"  Mamma,  you  have  fordotten  your  wings," 
Clover  would  hear  her  saying.  "  Mamma, 
you  has  a  wip  in  your  seeve,  you  must  m«nd 
ft,"  or  "  Mamma,  don't  fordet  dat  your  teys 
is  in  the  top  dwawer,"  —  all  these  reminders 
and  advices  being  made  particularly  comical 
by  the  baby  pronunciation.  Rose's  theory 
was  that  little  Rose  was  a  messenger  from 
heaven  sent  to  buffet  her  and  correct  her 
mistakes. 

"  The  bane  and  the  antidote,"  she  would 
say.  "  Think  of  my  having  a  child  with 
powers  of  ratiocination  !  " 

Rose  came  down  the  night  of  her  arrival 
after  a  long,  freshening  nap,  looking  rested 


66  CLOVER. 

and  bonny  in  a  pretty  blue  dress,  and  saying 
that  as  little  Rose  too  had  taken  a  good  sleep, 
she  might  sit  up  to  tea  if  the  family  liked. 
The  family  were  only  too  pleased  to  have 
her  do  so.  After  tea  Rose  carried  her  off, 
ostensibly  to  go  to  bed,  but  Clover  heard  a 
great  deal  of  confabulating  and  giggling  in 
the  hall  and  on  the  stairs,  and  soon  after,  Rose 
returned,  the  door-bell  rang  loudly,  and  there 
entered  an  astonishing  vision, — little  Rose, 
costumed  as  a  Cupid  or  a  carrier-pigeon,  no 
one  knew  exactly  which,  with  a  pair  of  large 
white  wings  fastened  on  her  shoulders,  and 
dragging  behind  her  by  a  loop  of  ribbon  a 
sizeable  basket  quite  full  of  parcels. 

Straight  toward  Katy  she  went,  and  with 
her  small  hands  behind  her  back  and  her  blue 
eyes  fixed  full  on  Katy's  face,  repeated  with 
the  utmost  solemnity  the  following  "  poem :  " 

"  I  'm  a  messender,  you  see, 
Fwom  Hymen's  Expwess  Tumpany. 
All  these  little  bundles  are 
For  my  Aunty  Taty  Tarr  ; 
If  she  knows  wot 's  dood  for  her 
She  will  tiss  the  messender." 


"  I  'm  a  messender,  you  see, 
Fwom  Hymen's  Expwess  Tumpany." 

Pa$e  66. 


THE  FIRST   WEDDING   IN  THE   FAMILY.      67 

"  You  sweet  thing  !  "  cried  Katy,  "  tissing 
the  messender  "  with  all  her  heart.  "  I  never 
heard  such  a  dear  little  poem.  Did  you 
write  it  yourself,  Roslein  ?  " 

"  No.  Mamma  wote  it,  but  she  teached  it 
to  me  so  I  tould  say  it." 

The  bundles  of  course  contained  wedding 
gifts.  Rose  seemed  to  have  brought  her 
trunk  full  of  them.  There  were  a  pretty  pair 
of  salt-cellars  from  Mrs.  Redding,  a  charming 
paper-knife  of  silver,  with  an  antique  coin  set 
in  the  handle,  from  Sylvia,  a  hand-mirror 
mounted  in  brass  from  Esther  Dearborn,  a 
long  towel  with  fringed  and  embroidered 
ends  from  Ellen  Gray,  and  from  dear  old  Mrs. 
Redding  a  beautiful  lace-pin  set  with  a  moon- 
stone. Next  came  a  little  repousse  pitcher 
marked,  "  With  love  from  Mary  Silver,"  then 
a  parcel  tied  with  pink  ribbons,  containing  a 
card-case  of  Japanese  leather,  which  was  little 
Rose's  gift,  and  last  of  all  Rose's  own  present, 
a  delightful  case  full  of  ivory  brushes  and 
combs.  Altogether  never  was  such  a  satisfac- 
tory "fardel"  brought  by  Hymen's  or  any 


68  CLOVER. 

other  express  company  before ;  and  in  open- 
ing the  packages,  reading  the  notes  that 
came  with  them  and  exclaiming  and  admir- 
ing, time  flew  so  fast  that  Rose  quite  forgot 
the  hour,  till  little  Rose,  growing  sleepy, 
reminded  her  of  it  by  saying,  — 

"  Mamma,  I  dess  I  'd  better  do  to  bed  now, 
betause  if  I  don't  I  shall  be  too  seepy  to  turn 
to  Aunt  Taty's  wedding  to-mowwow." 

"  Dear  me  !  "  cried  Rose,  catching  the  child 
up.  "  This  is  simply  dreadful  !  what  a 
mother  I  am!  Things  are  come  to  a  pass 
indeed,  if  babes  and  sucklings  have  to  ask  to 
be  put  to  bed.  Baby,  you  ought  to  have 
been  christened  Nathan  the  Wise." 

She  disappeared  with  Roslein's  drowsy  eyes 
looking  over  her  shoulder. 

Next  afternoon  came  Ned,  and  with  him,  to 
Katy's  surprise  and  pleasure,  appeared  the 
good  old  commodore  who  had  played  such 
a  kind  part  in  their  affairs  in  Italy  the  year 
before.  It  was  a  great  compliment  that  he 
should  think  it  worth  while  to  come  so  far 
to  see  one  of  his  junior  officers  married  ; 


THE   FIRST    WEDDING   IN   THE   FAMILY.      69 

and  it  showed  so  much  real  regard  for  Ned 
that  everybody  was  delighted.  These  guests 
were  quartered  with  Mrs.  Ashe,  but  the}'  took 
most  of  their  meals  with  the  Carrs  ;  and  it 
was  arranged  that  they,  with  Polly  and  Amy, 
should  come  to  an  early  breakfast  on  the 
marriage  morning. 

After  Ned's  arrival  things  did  seem  to 
grow  a  little  fuller  and  busier,  for  he  nat- 
urally wanted  Katy  to  himself,  and  she  was 
too  preoccupied  to  keep  her  calm  grasp 
on  events ;  still  all  went  smoothly,  and  Rose 
declared  that  there  never  was  such  a  wed- 
ding since  the  world  was  made,  —  no  tears, 
no  worries,  nobody  looking  tired,  nothing 
disagreeable  ! 

Clover's  one  great  subject  of  concern  was 
the  fear  that  it  might  rain.  There  was  a  lit- 
tle haze  about  the  sunset  the  night  before, 
and  she  expressed  her  intention  to  Cousin 
Helen  of  lying  awake  all  night  to  see  how 
things  looked. 

"  I  really  feel  as  if  I  could  not  bear  it  if  it 
should  storm,"  she  said,  "  after  all  this  fine 


70  CLOVER. 

weather  too ;  and  I  know  I  shall  not  sleep  a 
wink,  anyway." 

"  I  think  we  can  trust  God  to  take  care  of 
the  weather  even  on  Katy's  wedding-day," 
replied  Cousin  Helen,  gently. 

And  after  all  it  was  she  who  lay  awake. 
Pain  had  made  her  a  restless  sleeper,  and  as 
her  bed  commanded  the  great  arch  of  western 
sky,  she  saw  the  moon,  a  sharp-curved  silver 
shape,  descend  and  disappear  a  little  before 
midnight.  She  roused  again  when  all  was 
still,  solemn  darkness  except  for  a  spangle  of 
stars,  and  later,  opened  her  eyes  in  time  to 
catch  the  faint  rose  flush  of  dawn  reflected 
from  the  east.  She  raised  herself  on  her 
elbow  to  watch  the  light  grow. 

"  It  is  a  fair  day  for  the  child,"  she  whis- 
pered to  herself.  "  How  good  God  is  !  " 
Then  she  slept  again  for  a  long,  restful  space, 
and  woke  refreshed,  so  that  Katy's  secret  fear 
that  Cousin  Helen  might  be  ill  from  excite- 
ment, and  not  able  to  come  to  her  wedding, 
was  not  realized. 

Clover,  meantime,   had   slept   soundly   all 


THE   FIRST    WEDDING   IN  THE   FAMILY.      71 

night.  She  and  Katy  shared  the  same  room, 
and  waked  almost  at  the  same  moment.  It 
was  early  still ;  but  the  sisters  felt  bright  and 
rested  and  ready  for  work,  so  they  rose  at 
once. 

They  dressed  in  silence,  after  a  little  whis- 
pered rejoicing  over  the  beautiful  morning, 
and  in  silence  took  their  Bibles  and  sat  down 
side  by  side  to  read  the  daily  portion  which 
was  their  habit.  Then  hand  in  hand  they 
stole  downstairs,  disturbing  nobody,  softly 
opened  doors  and  windows,  carried  bowls  and 
jars  out  on  the  porch,  and  proceeded  to 
arrange  a  great  basket  full  of  roses  which 
had  been  brought  the  night  before,  and  set 
in  the  dew-cool  shade  of  the  willows  to  keep 
fresh. 

Before  breakfast  all  the  house  had  put  on 
festal  airs.  Summer  had  come  early  to  Bur- 
net  that  year ;  every  garden  was  in  bud  and 
blossom,  and  every  one  who  had  flowers  had 
sent  their  best  to  grace  Katy's  wedding.  The 
whole  world  seemed  full  of  delicious  smells. 
Each  table  and  chimney-piece  bore  a  fragrant 


72  CLOVER. 

load ;  a  great  bowl  of  Jacqueminots  stood  in 
the  middle  of  the  breakfast-table,  and  two 
large  jars  of  the  same  on  the  porch,  where 
Clover  had  arranged  various  seats  and  cush- 
ions that  it  might  serve  as  a  sort  of  outdoor 
parlor. 

Nobody  who  came  to  that  early  breakfast 
ever  forgot  its  peace  and  pleasantness  and 
the  sweet  atmosphere  of  affection  which  seem- 
ed to  pervade  everything  about  it.  After 
breakfast  came  family  prayers  as  usual,  Dr. 
Carr  reading  the  chapter,  and  the  dear  old 
commodore  joining  with  a  hearty  nautical 
voice  in, — 

"Awake  my  soul!  and  with  the  sun," 

which  was  a  favorite  hymn  with  all  of  them. 
Ned  shared  Katy's  book,  and  his  face  and  hers 
alone  would  have  been  breakfast  enough  for 
the  company  if  everything  else  had  failed,  as 
Rose  remarked  to  Clover  in  a  whisper,  though 
nobody  found  any  fault  with  the  more  sub- 
stantial fare  which  Debby  had  sent  in  pre- 
viously. Somehow  this  little  mutual  service 


THE   FIRST   WEDDING   IN   THE   FAMILY.       73 

of  prayer  and  praise  seemed  to  fit  in  with  the 
spirit  of  the  day,  and  give  it  its  keynote. 

"  It 's  just  the  sweetest  wedding,"  Mrs. 
Ashe  told  her  brother.  "  And  the  wonderful 
thing  is  that  everything  comes  so  naturally. 
Katy  is  precisely  her  usual  self,  —  only  a  lit- 
tle more  so." 

"  I  'm  under  great  obligations  to  Amy  for 
having  that  fever,"  was  Ned's  somewhat  indi- 
rect answer;  but  his  sister  understood  what 
he  meant. 

Breakfast  over,  the  guests  discreetly  re- 
moved themselves  ;  and  the  whole  family 
joined  in  resetting  the  table  for  the  luncheon, 
which  was  to  be  at  two,  Katy  and  Ned  depart- 
ing in  the  boat  at  four.  It  was  a  simple  but 
abundant  repast,  with  plenty  of  delicious  home- 
cooked  food,  —  oysters  and  salads  and  cold 
chicken;  fresh  salmon  from  Lake  Superior; 
a  big  Virginia  ham  baked  to  perfection,  red 
and  translucent  to  its  savory  centre ;  hot 
coffee,  and  quantities  of  Debby's  perfect  rolls. 
There  were  strawberries,  also,  and  ice-cream, 
and  the  best  of  home-made  cake  and  jellies, 


74  CLOVER. 

and  everywhere  vases  of  fresh  roses  to  per- 
fume the  feast.  When  all  was  arranged,  there 
was  still  time  for  Katy  to  make  Cousin  Helen 
a  visit,  and  then  go  to  her  room  for  a  quiet 
rest  before  dressing ;  and  still  that  same  un- 
hurried air  pervaded  the  house. 

There  had  been  a  little  discussion  the  night 
before  as  to  just  how  the  bride  should  make 
her  appearance  at  the  decisive  moment ;  but 
Katy  had  settled  it  by  saying  simply  that  she 
should  come  downstairs,  and  Ned  could  meet 
her  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase. 

"  It  is  the  simplest  way,"  she  said ;  "  and 
you  know  I  don't  want  any  fuss.  I  will  just 
come  down." 

"  I  dare  say  she  's  right,"  remarked  Rose ; 
"  but  it  seems  to  me  to  require  a  great  deal 
of  courage." 

And  after  all,  it  didn't.  The  simple  and 
natural  way  of  doing  a  thing  generally  turns 
out  the  easiest.  Clover  helped  Katy  to  put 
on  the  wedding-gown  of  soft  crape  and  creamy 
white  silk.  It  was  trimmed  with  old  lace  and 
knots  of  ribbon,  and  Katy  wore  with  it  two 


THE   FIRST    WEDDING   IN   THE    FAMILY.       75 

or  three  white  roses  which  Ned  had  brought 
her,  and  a  pearl  pendant  which  was  his  gift. 
Then  Clover  had  to  go  downstairs  to  receive 
the  guests,  and  see  that  Cousin  Helen's  sofa 
was  put  in  the  right  place ;  and  Rose,  who 
remained  behind,  had  the  pleasure  of  arrang- 
ing Katy's  veil.  The  yellow-white  of  the  old 
blonde  was  very  becoming,  and  altogether, 
the  effect,  though  not  "stylish,"  was  very 
sweet.  Katy  was  a  little  pale,  but  otherwise 
exactly  like  her  usual  self,  with  no  tremors 
or  self-consciousness. 

Presently  little  Rose  came  up  with  a  mes- 
sage. 

"  Aunty  Tover  says  dat  Dr.  Tone  has  turn, 
and  everything  is  weddy,  and  you  'd  better 
turn  down,"  she  announced. 

Katy  gave  Rose  a  last  kiss,  and  went  down 
the  hall.  But  little  Rose  was  so  fascinated 
by  the  appearance  of  the  white  dress  and  veil 
that  she  kept  fast  hold  of  Katy's  hand,  dis- 
regarding her  mother's  suggestion  that  she 
should  slip  down  the  back  staircase,  as  she 
herself  proposed  to  do. 


76  CLOVER. 

"No,  I  want  to  do  with  my  Aunt  Taty," 
she  persisted. 

So  it  chanced  that  Katy  came  downstairs 
with  pretty  little  Rose  clinging  to  her  like 
a  sort  of  impromptu  bridesmaid  ;  and  meeting 
Ned's  eyes  as  he  stood  at  the  foot  waiting  for 
her,  she  forgot  herself,  lost  the  little  sense  of 
shyness  which  was  creeping  over  her,  and 
responded  to  his  look  with  a  tender,  brilliant 
smile.  The  light  from  the  hall-door  caught 
her  face  and  figure  just  then,  the  color  flashed 
into  her  cheeks ;  and  she  looked  like  a  beau- 
tiful, happy  picture  of  a  bride,  and  all  by 
accident,  —  which  was  the  best  thing  about 
it;  for  pre-arranged  effects  are  not  always 
eifective,  and  are  apt  to  betray  their  pre- 
arrangement. 

Then  Katy  took  Ned's  arm,  little  Rose  let 
go  her  hand,  and  they  went  into  the  parlor 
and  were  married. 

Dr.  Stone  had  an  old-fashioned  and  very 
solemn  wedding  service  which  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  use  on  such  occasions.  He  gener- 
ally spoke  of  the  bride  as  "  Thy  handmaiden/' 


THE    FIRST   WEDDING   IN   THE   FAMILY.      77 

which  was  a  form  that  Clover  particularly 
deprecated.  He  had  also  been  known  to 
advert  to  the  world  where  there  is  neither 
marrying  nor  giving  in  marriage  as  a  great 
improvement  on  this,  which  seemed,  to  say 
the  least,  an  unfortunate  allusion  under  the 
circumstances.  But  upon  this  occasion  his 
feelings  were  warmed  and  touched,  and  he 
called  Katy  "  My  dear  child,"  which  was  much 
better  than  "  Thy  handmaiden." 

When  the  ceremony  was  over,  Ned  kissed 
Katy,  and  her  father  kissed  her,  and  the  girls 
and  Dorry  and  Phil ;  and  then,  without  wait- 
ing for  any  one  else,  she  left  her  place  and 
went  straight  to  where  Cousin  Helen  lay  on 
her  sofa,  watching  the  scene  with  those  clear, 
tender  eyes  in  which  no  shadow  of  past  re- 
grets could  be  detected.  Katy  knelt  down 
beside  her,  and  they  exchanged  a  long,  silent 
embrace.  There  was  no  need  for  words  be- 
tween hearts  which  knew  each  other  so  well. 

After  that  for  a  little  while  all  was  congrat- 
ulations and  good  wishes.  I  think  no  bride 
ever  carried  more  hearty  good-will  into  her 


78  CLOVER. 

new  life  than  did  my  Katy.  All  sorts  of 
people  took  Ned  off  into  corners  to  tell  him 
privately  what  a  fortunate  person  he  was  in 
winning  such  a  wife.  Each  fresh  confidence 
of  this  sort  was  a  fresh  delight  to  him,  he  so 
thoroughly  agreed  with  it 

"  She 's  a  prize,  sir  !  —  she 's  a  prize  !  "  old 
Mr.  Worrett  kept  repeating,  shaking  Ned's 
hand  with  each  repetition.  Mrs.  Worrett  had 
not  been  able  to  come.  She  never  left  home 
now  on  account  of  the  prevailing  weakness  of 
carryalls;  but  she  sent  Katy  her  best  love 
and  a  gorgeous  broom  made  of  the  tails  of 
her  own  peacocks. 

"  Are  n't  you  sorry  you  are  not  going  to  stay 
and  have  a  nice  time  with  us  all,  and  help  eat 
up  the  rest  of  the  cake  ?  "  demanded  Clover,  as 
she  put  her  head  into  the  carriage  for  a  last 
kiss,  two  hours  later. 

"  Very !  "  said  Katy ;  but  she  did  n't  look 
sorry  at  all. 

"  There 's  one  comfort,"  Clover  remarked 
valiantly,  as  she  walked  back  to  the  house 
with  her  arm  round  Hose's  waist.  "  She  's 


THE   FIKST   WEDDING   IN   THE   FAMILY.       79 

coming  back  in  December,  when  the  ship 
sails,  and  as  likely  as  not  she  will  stay  a  year, 
or  perhaps  two.  That 's  what  I  like  about  the 
navy.  You  can  eat  your  cake,  and  have  it 
too.  Husbands  go  off  for  good  long  times,  and 
leave  their  wives  behind  them.  I  think  it 's 
delightful !  " 

"  I  wonder  if  Katy  will  think  it  quite  so 
delightful,"  remarked  Rose.  "  Girls  are  not 
always  so  anxious  to  ship  their  husbands  off 
for  what  you  call  *  good  long  times.' ' 

"  I  think  she  ought.  It  seems  to  me  per- 
fectly unnatural  that  any  one  should  want  to 
leave  her  own  family  and  go  away  for  always. 
I  like  Ned  dearly,  but  except  for  this  blessed 
arrangement  about  going  to  sea,  I  don't  see 
how  Katy  could." 

"  Clover,  you  are  a  goose.  You  '11  be 
wiser  one  of  these  days,  see  if  you  are  n't," 
was  Rose's  only  reply. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TWO  LONG  YEARS  IN  ONE  SHOET  CHAPTER. 

IIATY'S  absence  left  a  sad  blank  in  the 
household.  Every  one  missed  her, 
but  nobody  so  much  as  Clover,  who 
all  her  life  long  had  been  her  room-mate, 
confidante,  and  intimate  friend. 

It  was  a  great  help  that  Rose  was  there 
for  the  first  three  lonely  days.  Dulness  and 
sadness  were  impossible  with  that  vivacious 
little  person  at  hand ;  and  so  long  as  she 
stayed,  Clover  had  small  leisure  to  be  mourn- 
ful. Rose  was  so  bright  and  merry  and  af- 
fectionate that  Elsie  and  John  were  almost  as 
much  in  love  with  her  as  Clover  herself,  and 
sat  and  sunned  themselves  in  her  warmth,  so 
to  speak,  all  day  long,  while  Phil  and  Dorry 
fairly  quarrelled  as  to  which  should  have  the 


TWO   LONG    YEARS.  81 

pleasure  of  doing  little  services  for  her  and 
Baby  Rose. 

If  she  could  have  remained  the  summer 
through,  all  would  have  seemed  easy;  but 
that  of  course  was  impossible.  Mr.  Browne 
appeared  with  a  provoking  punctuality  on  the 
morning  of  the  fourth  day,  prepared  to  carry 
his  family  away  with  him.  He  spent  one 
night  at  Dr.  Carr's,  and  they  all  liked  him 
very  much.  No  one  could  help  it,  he  was  so 
cordial  and  friendly  and  pleasant.  Still,  for 
all  her  liking,  Clover  could  have  found  it  in 
her  heart  to  quite  detest  him  as  the  final 
moment  drew  near. 

'•'  Let  him  go  home  without  you,"  she  urged 
coaxingly.  "  Stay  with  us  all  summer,  —  you 
and  little  Rose  !  He  can  come  back  in  Sep- 
tember to  fetch  you,  and  it  would  be  so 
delightful  to  us." 

"  My  dear,  I  could  n't  live  without  Deniston 
till  September,"  said  the  disappointing  Rose. 
"  It  may  rot  show  itself  to  a  casual  observer, 
but  I  arr>  really  quite  foolish  about  Deniston. 

I  should  n't  be  happy  away  from  him  at  all 

f 


82  CLOVER. 

He 's  the  only  husband  I  've  got,  —  a  '  poor 
thing,  but  mine  own/  as  the  '  immortal 
William'  puts  it" 

"  Oh,  dear,"  groaned  Clover.  "  That  is  the 
way  that  Katy  is  going  to  talk  about  Ned,  I 
suppose.  Matrimony  is  the  most  aggravating 
condition  of  things  for  outsiders  that  was  ever 
invented.  I  wish  nobody  had  invented  it. 
Here  it  would  be  so  nice  for  us  to  have  you 
stay,  and  the  moment  that  provoking  husband 
of  yours  appears,  you  can't  think  of  any  one 
else." 

"  Too  true  —  much  too  true.  Now,  Clovy, 
don't  embitter  our  last  moments  with  re- 
proaches. It 's  hard  enough  to  leave  you  as 
it  is,  when  I  've  just  found  you  again  after  all 
these  years.  I've  had  the  most  beautiful 
visit  that  ever  was,  and  you've  all  been 
awfully  dear  and  nice.  *  Kiss  me  quick  and 
let  me  go,'  as  the  song  says.  I  only  wish  Bur- 
net  was  next  door  to  West  Cedar  Street !  " 

Next  day  Mr.  Browne  sailed  away  with  his 
"handful  of  Roses,"  as  Elsie  sentimentally 
termed  them  (and  indeed,  Rose  by  herself 


TWO   LONG   YEARS.  83 

would  have  been  a  handful  for  almost  any  man); 
and  Clover,  like  Lord  Ullin,  was  "  left  lament- 
ing." Cousin  Helen  remained,  however ;  and 
it  was  not  till  she  too  departed,  a  week  later, 
that  Clover  fully  recognized  what  it  meant  to 
have  Katy  married.  Then  indeed  she  could 
have  found  it  in  her  heart  to  emulate  Eugenie 
de  la  Ferronayes,  and  shed  tears  over  all  the 
little  inanimate  objects  which  her  sister  had 
left  behind,  —  the  worn-out  gloves,  the  old 
dressing  slippers  in  the  shoe-bag.  But  dear 
me,  we  get  used  to  everything,  and  it  is  for- 
tunate that  we  do !  Life  is  too  full,  and 
hearts  too  flexible,  and  really  sad  things  too 
sad,  for  the  survival  of  sentimental  regrets 
over  changes  which  do  not  involve  real  loss 
and  the  wide  separation  of  death.  In  time, 
Clover  learned  to  live  without  Katy,  and  to 
be  cheerful  still. 

Her  cheerfulness  was  greatly  helped  by 
the  letters  which  came  regularly,  and  showed 
how  contented  Katy  herself  was.  She  and 
Ned  were  having  a  beautiful  time,  first  in 
New  York,  and  making  visits  near  it,  then  in 


84  CLOVER. 

Portsmouth  and  Portland,  when  the  frigate 
moved  on  to  these  harbors,  and  in  Newport, 
which  was  full  and  gay  and  amusing  to  the 
last  degree.  Later,  in  August,  the  letters 
came  from  Bar  Harbor,  where  Katy  had 
followed,  in  company  with  the  commodore's 
wife,  who  seemed  as  nice  as  her  husband ;  and 
Clover  heard  of  all  manner  of  delightful  do- 
ings, —  sails,  excursions,  receptions  on  board 
ship,  and  long  moonlight  paddles  with  Ned, 
who  was  an  expert  canoeist.  Everybody  was 
so  wonderfully  kind,  Katy  said ;  but  Ned 
wrote  to  his  sister  that  Katy  was  a  great 
favorite ;  every  one  liked  her,  and  his  particu- 
lar friends  were  all  raging  wildly  round  in 
quest  of  girls  just  like  her  to  marry.  "  But 
it 's  no  use ;  for,  as  I  tell  them,"  he  added, 
"  that  sort  is  n't  made  in  batches.  There  is 
only  one  Katy ;  and  happily  she  belongs  to 
me,  and  the  other  fellows  must  get  along  as 
they  can." 

This  was  all  satisfactory  and  comforting ; 
and  Clover  could  endure  a  little  loneliness 
herself  so  long  as  her  beloved  Katy  seemed 


TWO    LONG   YEARS.  85 

so  happy.  She  was  very  busy  besides,  and 
there  were  compensations,  as  she  admitted 
to  herself.  She  liked  the  consequence  of 
being  at  the  head  of  domestic  affairs,  and 
succeeding  to  Katy's  position  as  papa's  spe- 
cial daughter,  —  the  person  to  whom  he  came 
for  all  he  wanted,  and  to  whom  he  told  his 
little  secrets.  She  and  Elsie  became  more 
intimate  than  they  had  ever  been  before ; 
and  Elsie  in  her  turn  enjoyed  being  Clover's 
lieutenant  as  Clover  had  been  Katy's.  So 
the  summer  did  not  seem  long  to  any  of 
them;  and  when  September  was  once  past, 
and  they  could  begin  to  say,  "  month  after 
next,"  the  time  sped  much  faster. 

"  Mrs.  Hall  asked  me  this  morning  when  the 
Worthingtons  were  coming,"  said  Johnnie, 
one  day.  "  It  seems  so  funny  to  have  Katy 
spoken  of  as  '  the  Worthingtons.' ' 

"  I  only  wish  the  Worthingtons  would  write 
and  say  when,"  remarked  Clover.  "  It  is  more 
than  a  week  since  we  heard  from  them." 

The  next  day  brought  the  wished-for  let- 
ter, and  the  good  news  that  Ned  had  a  fort- 


86  CLOVER. 

night's  leave,  and  meant  to  bring  Katy  home 
the  middle  of  November,  and  stay  for  Thanks- 
giving. After  that  the  "  Natchitoches  "  was  to 
sail  for  an  eighteen  months'  cruise  to  China 
and  Japan ;  and  then  Ned  would  probably 
have  two  years  ashore  at  the  Torpedo  Station 
or  Naval  Academy  or  somewhere,  and  they 
would  start  a  little  home  for  themselves. 

"  Meantime,"  wrote  Katy,  "  I  am  coming  to 
spend  a  year  and  a  half  with  you,  if  urged. 
Don't  all  speak  at  once,  and  don't  mind  say- 
ing so,  if  you  don't  want  me." 

The  bitter  drop  in  this  pleasant  intelligence 
—  there  generally  is  one,  you  know  —  was 
that  the  fortnight  of  Ned's  stay  was  to  be 
spent  at  Mrs.  Ashe's.  "  It 's  her  only  chance 
to  see  Ned,"  said  Katy ;  "  so  I  know  you 
wron't  mind,  for  afterward  you  will  have  me 
for  such  a  long  visit." 

But  they  did  mind  very  much ! 

"I  don't  think  it's  fair,"  cried  Johnnie, 
hotly,  while  Clover  and  Elsie  exchanged  dis- 
gusted looks ;  "  Katy  belongs  to  us." 

"  Katy  belongs  to  her  husband,  on  the  con- 


TWO   LONG   TEAKS.  87 

trary,"  said  Dr.  Carr,  overhearing  her ;  "  you 
must  learn  that  lesson  once  for  all,  children. 
There  's  no  escape  from  the  melancholy  fact ; 
and  it's  quite  right  and  natural  that  Ned 
should  wish  to  go  to  his  sister,  and  she  should 
want  to  have  him." 

"Ned!  yes.     ButKaty  —  " 

"  My  dear,  Katy  is  Ned,"  answered  Dr. 
Carr,  with  a  twinkle.  Then  noticing  the  ex- 
tremely unconvinced  expression  of  Johnnie's 
face,  he  added  more  seriously,  "  Don't  be 
cross,  children,  and  spoil  all  Katy's  pleasure 
in  coming  home,  with  your  foolish  jealousies. 
Clover,  I  trust  to  you  to  take  these  young  muti- 
neers in  hand  and  make  them  listen  to  reason." 

Thus  appealed  to,  Clover  rallied  her  pow- 
ers, and  while  laboring  to  bring  Elsie  and 
John  to  a  proper  frame  of  mind,  schooled 
herself  as  well,  so  as  to  be  able  to  treat  Mrs. 
Ashe  amiably  when  they  met.  Dear,  uncon- 
scious Polly  meanwhile  was  devising  all  sorts 
of  pleasant  and  hospitable  plans  designed  to 
make  Ned's  stay  a  sort  of  continuous  fete  to 
everybody.  She  put  on  no  airs  over  the 


88  CLOVER. 

preference  shown  her,  and  was  altogether  so 
kind  and  friendly  and  sweet  that  no  one 
could  quarrel  with  her  even  in  thought,  and 
Johnnie  herself  had  to  forgive  her,  and  be 
contented  with  a  little  whispered  grumble  to 
Dorry  now  and  then  over  the  inconvenience 
of  possessing  "  people-in-law." 

And  then  Katy  came,  the  same  Katy,  only, 
as  Clover  thought,  nicer,  brighter,  dearer, 
and  certainly  better-looking  than  ever.  Sea 
air  had  tanned  her  a  little,  but  the  brown 
was  becoming ;  and  she  had  gained  an  ease 
and  polish  of  manner  which  her  sisters  ad- 
mired very  much.  And  after  all,  it  seemed 
to  make  little  difference  at  which  house  they 
stayed,  for  they  were  in  and  out  of  both  all 
day  long ;  and  Mrs.  Ashe  threw  her  doors 
open  to  the  Carrs  and  wanted  some  or  all  of 
them  for  every  meal,  so  that  except  for  the 
name  of  the  thing,  it  was  almost  as  satisfac- 
tory to  have  Katy  over  the  way  as  occupying 
her  old  quarters. 

The  fortnight  sped  only  too  rapidly.  Ned 
departed,  and  Katy  settled  herself  in  the 


TWO    LONG   YEARS.  89 

familiar  corner  to  wait  till  he  should  come 
back  again.  Navy  wives  have  to  learn  the 
hard  lesson  of  patience  in  the  long  separa- 
tions entailed  by  their  husbands'  profession. 
Katy  missed  Ned  sorely,  but  she  was  too  un- 
selfish to  mope,  or  to  let  the  others  know  how 
hard  to  bear  his  loss  seemed  to  her.  She 
never  told  any  one  how  she  lay  awake  in 
stormy  nights,  or  when  the  wind  blew,  —  and 
it  seemed  to  blow  oftener  than  usual  that 
winter,  —  imagining  the  frigate  in  a  gale, 
and  whispering  little  prayers  for  Ned's  safety. 
Then  her  good  sense  would  come  back,  and  re- 
mind her  that  wind  in  Burnet  did  not  necessa- 
rily mean  wind  in  Shanghai  or  Yokohama  or 
wherever  the  "  Natchitoches  "  might  be  ;  and 
she  would  put  herself  to  sleep  with  the  repe- 
tition of  that  lovely  verse  of  Keble's  "Evening 
Hymn,"  left  out  in  most  of  the  collections, 
but  which  was  particularly  dear  to  her :  — 

"  Thou  Ruler  of  the  light  and  dark, 
Guide  through  the  tempest  Thine  own  Ark; 
Amid  the  howling,  wintry  sea, 
We  are  in  port  if  we  have  Thee." 


90  CLOVER. 

So  the  winter  passed,  and  the  spring ;  and 
another  summer  came  and  went,  with  little 
change  to  the  quiet  Burnet  household,  and 
Katy's  brief  life  with  her  husband  began  to 
seem  dreamy  and  unreal,  it  lay  so  far  behind. 
And  then,  with  the  beginning  of  the  second 
winter  came  a  new  anxiety. 

Phil,  as  we  said  in  the  last  chapter,  had 
grown  too  fast  to  be  very  strong,  and  was  the 
most  delicate  of  the  family  in  looks  and 
health,  though  full  of  spirit  and  fun.  Going 
out  to  skate  with  some  other  boys  the  week 
before  Christmas,  on  a  pond  which  was  not 
so  securely  frozen  as  it  looked,  the  ice  gave 
way;  and  though  no  one  was  drowned,  the 
whole  party  had  a  drenching,  and  were  thor- 
oughly chilled.  None  of  the  others  minded 
it  much,  but  the  exposure  had  a  serious  effect 
on  Phil.  He  caught  a  bad  cold  which  rap- 
idly increased  into  pneumonia  j  and  Christmas 
Day,  usually  such  a  bright  one  in  the  Carr 
household,  was  overshadowed  by  anxious  fore- 
bodings, for  Phil  was  seriously  ill,  and  the 
doctor  felt  by  no  means  sure  how  things 


TWO   LONG   TEARS.  91 

would  turn  with  him.  The  sisters  nursed  him 
devotedly,  and  by  March  he  was  out  again ; 
but  he  did  not  get  well  or  lose  the  persistent 
little  cough,  which  kept  him  thin  and  weak. 
Dr.  Carr  tried  this  remedy  and  that,  but 
nothing  seemed  to  do  much  good ;  and  Katy 
thought  that  her  father  looked  graver  and 
more  anxious  every  time  that  he  tested  Phil's 
temperature  or  listened  at  his  chest. 

"  It 's  not  serious  yet,"  he  told  her  in  pri- 
vate ;  "  but  I  don't  like  the  look  of  things. 
The  boy  is  just  at  a  turning-point.  Any  little 
thing  might  set  him  one  way  or  the  other. 
I  wish  I  could  send  him  away  from  this  damp 
lake  climate." 

But  sending  a  half-sick  boy  away  is  not 
such  an  easy  thing,  nor  was  it  quite  clear  where 
he  ought  to  go.  So  matters  drifted  along  for 
another  month,  and  then  Phil  settled  the  ques- 
tion for  himself  by  having  a  slight  hemorrhage. 
It  was  evident  that  something  must  be  done, 
and  speedily  —  but  what  ?  Dr.  Carr  wrote  to 
various  medical  acquaintances,  and  in  reply 
pamphlets  and  letters  poured  in,  each  designed 


92  CLOVER. 

to  prove  that  the  particular  part  of  the 
country  to  which  the  pamphlet  or  the  letter 
referred  was  the  only  one  to  which  it  was  at 
all  worth  while  to  consign  an  invalid  with 
delicate  lungs.  One  recommended  Florida, 
another  Georgia,  a  third  South  Carolina ;  a 
fourth  and  fifth  recommended  cold  instead  of 
heat,  and  an  open  air  life  with  the  mercury  at 
zero.  It  was  hard  to  decide  what  was  best. 

"He  ought  not  to  go  off  alone  either,"  said 
the  puzzled  father.  "  He  is  neither  old 
enough  nor  wise  enough  to  manage  by  him- 
self, but  who  to  send  with  him  is  the  puzzle. 
It  doubles  the  expense,  too." 

u  Perhaps  I  —  "  began  Katy,  but  her  father 
cut  her  short  with  a  gesture. 

"  No,  Katy,  I  could  n't  permit  that.  Your 
husband  is  due  in  a  few  weeks  now.  You 
must  be  free  to  go  to  him  wherever  he  is, 
not  hampered  with  the  care  of  a  sick  brother. 
Besides,  whoever  takes  charge  of  Phil  must 
be  prepared  for  a  long  absence,  —  at  least  a 
year.  It  must  be  either  Clover  or  myself; 
and  as  it  seems  out  of  the  question  that  I 


TWO   LONG   TEARS.  93 

shall  drop  my  practice  for  a  year,  Clover  is 
the  person." 

"  Phil  is  seventeen  now,"  suggested  Katy. 
"  That  is  not  so  very  young." 

"  No,  not  if  he  were  in  full  health.  Plenty 
of  boys  no  older  than  he  have  gone  out  West 
by  themselves,  and  fared  perfectly  well.  But 
in  Phil's  condition  that  would  never  answer. 
He  has  a  tendency  to  be  low-spirited  about 
himself  too,  and  he  needs  incessant  care  and 
watchfulness." 

"  Out  West,"  repeated  Katy.  "  Have  you 
decided,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes.  The  letter  I  had  yesterday  from 
Hope,  makes  me  pretty  sure  that  St.  Helen's 
is  the  best  place  we  have  heard  of." 

"  St.  Helen's !     Where  is  that  ?  " 

"  It  is  one  of  the  new  health-resorts  in 
Colorado  which  has  lately  come  into  notice 
for  consumptives.  It 's  very  high  up  ;  nearly 
or  quite  six  thousand  feet,  and  the  air  is  said 
to  be  something  remarkable." 

"  Clover  will  manage  beautifully,  I  think ; 
she  is  such  a  sensible  little  thing,"  said  Katy. 


94  CLOVER. 

"  She  seems  to  me,  and  he  too,  about  as  fit 
to  go  off  two  thousand  miles  by  themselves  as 
the  Babes  in  the  Wood,"  remarked  Dr.  Carr, 
who,  like  many  other  fathers,  found  it  hard  to 
realize  that  his  children  had  outgrown  their 
childhood.  "  However,  there 's  no  help  for  it. 
If  I  don't  stay  and  grind  away  at  the  mill, 
there  is  no  one  to  pay  for  this  long  journey. 
Clover  will  have  to  do  her  best." 

"  And  a  very  good  best  it  will  be  you  '11 
see,"  said  Katy,  consolingly.  "  Does  Dr. 
Hope  tell  you  anything  about  the  place  ?  " 
she  added,  turning  over  the  letter  which  her 
father  had  handed  her. 

"  Oh,  he  says  the  scenery  is  fine,  and  the 
mean  rain-fall  is  this,  and  the  mean  precipita- 
tion that,  and  that  boarding-places  can  be  had. 
That  is  pretty  much  all.  So  far  as  climate 
goes,  it  is  the  right  place,  but  I  presume  the 
accommodations  are  poor  enough.  The  chil- 
dren must  go  prepared  to  rough  it.  The  town 
was  only  settled  ten  or  eleven  years  ago ; 
there  has  n't  been  time  to  make  things  com- 
fortable," remarked  Dr  Carr,  with  a  truly 


TWO   LONG   YEARS.  95 

Eastern  ignorance  of  the  rapid  way  in  which 
things  march  in  the  far  West. 

Clover's  feelings  when  the  decision  was  an- 
nounced to  her  it  would  be  hard  to  explain 
in  full.  She  was  both  confused  and  exhila- 
rated by  the  sudden  weight  of  responsibility 
laid  upon  her.  To  leave  everybody  and  every- 
thing she  had  always  been  used  to,  and  go 
away  to  such  a  distance  alone  with  Phil,  made 
her  gasp  with  a  sense  of  dismay,  while  at  the 
same  time  the  idea  that  for  the  first  time  in 
her  life  she  was  trusted  with  something  really 
important,  roused  her  energies,  and  made  her 
feel  braced  and  valiant,  like  a  soldier  to 
whom  some  difficult  enterprise  is  intrusted 
on  the  day  of  battle. 

Many  consultations  followed  as  to  what  the 
travellers  should  carry  with  them,  by  what 
route  they  would  best  go,  and  how  prepare 
for  the  journey.  A  great  deal  of  contradictory 
advice  was  offered,  as  is  usually  the  case 
when  people  are  starting  on  a  voyage  or  a 
long  railway  ride.  One  friend  wrote  to  re- 
commend that  they  should  provide  themselves 


96  CLOVER. 

with  a  week's  provisions  in  advance,  and  en- 
closed a  list  of  crackers,  jam,  potted  meats,  tea, 
fruit,  and  hardware,  which  would  have  made 
a  heavy  load  for  a  donkey  or  mule  to  carry. 
How  were  poor  Clover  and  Phil  to  transport 
such  a  weight  of  things  ?  Another  advised 
against  umbrellas  and  water-proof  cloaks, — 
what  was  the  use  of  such  things  where  it  never 
rained  ?  —  while  a  second  letter,  received  the 
same  day,  assured  them  that  thunder  and 
hail  storms  were  things  for  which  travellers 
in  Colorado  must  live  in  a  state  of  continual 
preparation.  "  Who  shall  decide  when  doctors 
disagree  ?  "  In  the  end  Clover  concluded  that 
it  was  best  to  follow  the  leadings  of  common- 
sense  and  rational  precaution,  do  about  a  quar- 
ter of  what  people  advised,  and  leave  the  rest 
undone  ;  and  she  found  that  this  worked  very 
well. 

As  they  knew  so  little  of  the  resources 
of  St.  Helen's,  and  there  was  such  a  strong 
impression  prevailing  in  the  family  as  to  its 
being  a  rough  sort  of  newly-settled  place, 
Clover  and  Katy  judged  it  wise  to  pack  a 


TWO   LONG   YEARS.  97 

large  box  of  stores  to  go  out  by  freight: 
oatmeal  and  arrowroot  and  beef-extract  and 
Albert  biscuits,  —  things  which  Philly  ought 
to  have,  and  which  in  a  wild  region  might  be 
hard  to  come  by.  Debby  filled  all  the  cor- 
ners with  home-made  dainties  of  various  sorts; 
and  Clover,  besides  a  spirit-lamp  and  a  tea-pot, 
put  into  her  trunks  various  small  decorations, 
—  Japanese  fans  and  pictures,  photographs, 
a  vase  or  two,  books  and  a  sofa-pillow,  — 
things  which  took  little  room,  and  which  she 
thought  would  make  their  quarters  look  more 
comfortable  in  case  they  were  very  bare  and 
unfurnished.  People  felt  sorry  for  the  prob- 
able hardships  the  brother  and  sister  were  to 
undergo;  and  they  had  as  many  little  gifts 
and  notes  of  sympathy  and  counsel  as  Katy 
herself  when  she  was  starting  for  Europe. 

But  I  am  anticipating.  Before  the  trunks 
were  packed,  Dr.  Carr's  anxieties  about  his 
"  Babes  in  the  Wood "  were  greatly  allayed 
by  a  visit  from  Mrs.  Hall.  She  came  to  tell 
him  that  she  had  heard  of  a  possible  "matron" 
for  Clover. 

7 


98  CLOVER. 

"I  am  not  acquainted  with  the  lady  my- 
self," she  said ;  "  but  my  cousin,  who  writes 
about  her,  knows  her  quite  well,  and  says  she 
is  a  highly  respectable  person,  and  belongs  to 
nice  people.  Her  sister,  or  some  one,  mar- 
ried a  Phillips  of  Boston,  and  I've  always 
heard  that  that  family  was  one  of  the  best 
there.  She 's  had  some  malarial  trouble,  and 
is  at  the  West  now  on  account  of  it,  staying 
with  a  friend  in  Omaha;  but  she  wants  to 
spend  the  summer  at  St.  Helen's.  And  as  I 
know  you  have  worried  a  good  deal  over  hav- 
ing Clover  and  Phil  go  off  by  themselves,  I 
thought  it  might  be  a  comfort  to  you  to  hear 
of  this  Mrs.  Watson." 

"  You  are  very  good.  If  she  proves  to  be 
the  right  sort  of  person,  it  will  be  an  immense 
comfort.  Do  you  know  when  she  wants  to 
start?" 

"About  the  end  of  May,  —  just  the  right 
time,  you  see.  She  could  join  Clover  and 
Philip  as  they  go  through,  which  will  work 
nicely  for  them  all." 

"  So  it  will.     Well,  this  is  quite  a  relief. 


TWO   LONG   YEARS.  99 

Please  write  to  your  cousin,  Mrs.  Hall,  and 
make  the  arrangement.  I  don't  want  Mrs. 
Watson  to  be  burdened  with  any  real  care  of 
the  children,  of  course ;  but  if  she  can  arrange 
to  go  along  with  them,  and  give  Clover  a 
word  of  advice  now  and  then,  should  she  need 
it,  I  shall  be  easier  in  my  mind  about  them." 

Clover  was  only  doubtfully  grateful  when 
she  heard  of  this  arrangement. 

"  Papa  always  will  persist  in  thinking  that 
I  am  a  baby  still,"  she  said  to  Katy,  drawing 
her  little  figure  up  to  look  as  tall  as  possible. 
"  I  am  twenty-two,  I  would  have  him  remem- 
ber. How  do  we  know  what  this  Mrs.  Watson 
is  like  ?  She  may  be  the  most  disagreeable 
person  in  the  world  for  all  papa  can  tell." 

"  I  really  can't  find  it  in  my  heart  to  be 
sorry  that  it  has  happened,  papa  looks  so 
much  relieved  by  it,"  Katy  rejoined. 

But  all  dissatisfactions  and  worries  and 
misgivings  took  wings  and  flew  away  when, 
just  ten  days  before  the  travellers  were  to 
start,  a  new  and  delightful  change  was  made 
in  the  programme.  Ned  telegraphed  that 


100  CLOVER. 

the  ship,  instead  of  coming  to  New  York,  was 
ordered  to  San  Francisco  to  refit,  and  he 
wanted  Katy  to  join  him  there  early  in  June, 
prepared  to  spend  the  summer ;  while  al- 
most simultaneously  came  a  letter  from  Mrs. 
Ashe,  who  with  Amy  had  been  staying  a 
couple  of  months  in  New  York,  to  say  that 
hearing  of  Ned's  plan  had  decided  her  also 
to  take  a  trip  to  California  with  some  friends 
who  had  previously  asked  her  to  join  them. 
These  friends  were,  it  seemed,  the  Day  tons  of 
Albany.  Mr.  Dayton  was  a  railroad  magnate, 
and  had  the  control  of  a  private  car  in  which 
the  party  were  to  travel ;  and  Mrs.  Ashe  was 
authorized  to  invite  Katy,  and  Clover  and 
Phil  also,  to  go  along  with  them,  —  the  for- 
mer all  the  way  to  California,  and  the  others 
as  far  as  Denver,  where  the  roads  separated. 

This  was  truly  delightful.  Such  an  offer 
was  surely  worth  a  few  days'  delay.  The 
plan  seemed  to  settle  itself  all  in  one  minute. 
Mrs.  Watson,  whom  every  one  now  regretted 
as  a  complication,  was  the  only  difficulty;  but 
a  couple  of  telegrams  settled  that  perplexity, 


TWO   LONG   TEARS.  101 

and  it  was  arranged  that  she  should  join 
them  on  the  same  train,  though  in  a  different 
car.  To  have  Katy  as  a  fellow-traveller,  and 
Mrs.  Ashe  and  Amy,  made  a  different  thing 
of  the  long  journey,  and  Clover  proceeded 
with  her  preparations  in  jubilant  spirits. 


CHAPTER  V. 

CAR  FORTY-SEVEN. 

|T  is  they  who  stay  behind  who  suffer 
most  from  leave-takings.  Those 
who  go  have  the  continual  change 
of  scenes  and  impressions  to  help  them  to  for- 
get; those  who  remain  must  bear  as  best 
they  may  the  dull  heavy  sense  of  loss  and 
separation. 

The  parting  at  Burnet  was  not  a  cheerful 
one.  Clover  was  oppressed  with  the  nearness 
of  untried  responsibilities;  and  though  she 
kept  up  a  brave  face,  she  was  inwardly  home- 
sick. Phil  slept  badly  the  night  before  the 
start,  and  looked  so  wan  and  thin  as  he  stood 
on  the  steamer's  deck  beside  his  sisters,  wav- 
ing good-by  to  the  party  on  the  wharf,  that 
a  new  and  sharp  thrill  of  anxiety  shot  through 
his  father's  heart.  The  boy  looked  so  young 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  103 

and  helpless  to  be  sent  away  ill  among  stran- 
gers, and  round-faced  little  Clover  seemed 
such  a  fragile  support !  There  was  no  help 
for  it.  The  thing  was  decided  on,  decided 
for  the  best,  as  they  all  hoped ;  but  Dr.  Carr 
was  not  at  all  happy  in  his  mind  as  he 
watched  the  steamer  become  a  gradually  les- 
sening speck  in  the  distance,  and  he  sighed 
heavily  when  at  last  he  turned  away. 

Elsie  echoed  the  sigh.  She,  too,  had 
noticed  Phil's  looks  and  papa's  gravity,  and 
her  heart  felt  heavy  within  her.  The  house, 
when  they  reached  it,  seemed  lonely  and 
empty.  Papa  went  at  once  to  his  office,  and 
they  heard  him  lock  the  door.  This  was  such 
an  unusual  proceeding  in  the  middle  of  the 
morning  that  she  and  Johnnie  opened  wide 
eyes  of  dismay  at  each  other. 

"  Is  papa  crying,  do  you  suppose  ?  "  whis- 
pered John. 

"  No,  I  don't  think  it  can  be  thai.  Papa 
never  does  cry ;  but  1  'm  afraid  he 's  feeling 
badly,"  responded  Elsie,  in  the  same  hushed 
tone.  "  Oh,  dear,  how  horrid  it  is  not  even  to 


104  CLOVER. 

have  Clover  at  home !  What  are  we  going  to 
dc  without  her  and  Katy  ? " 

"I  don't  know  I'm  sure.  You  can't  think 
how  queer  I  feel,  Elsie,  —  just  as  if  my 
heart  had  slipped  out  of  its  place,  and  was 
going  down,  down  into  my  boots.  I  think  it 
must  be  the  way  people  feel  when  they  are 
homesick.  I  had  it  once  before  when  I  was 
at  Inches  Mills,  but  never  since  then.  How 
I  wish  Philly  had  never  gone  to  skate  on  that 
nasty  pond  !  "  and  John  burst  into  a  passion 
of  tears. 

"  Oh,  don't,  don't!  "  cried  poor  Elsie,  for 
Johnnie's  sobs  were  infectious,  and  she  felt  an 
ominous  lump  coming  into  her  own  throat, 
"  don't  behave  so,  Johnnie.  Think  if  papa 
came  out,  and  found  us  crying !  Clover  par- 
ticularly said  that  we  must  make  the  house 
bright  for  him.  I'm  going  to  sow  the  migno- 
nette seed  [desperately]  ;  come  and  help  me. 
The  trowel  is  on  the  back  porch,  and  you 
might  get  Dorry's  jack-knife  and  cut  some 
little  sticks  to  mark  the  places." 

This   expedient  was  successful.      Johnnie, 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  105 

who  loved  to  "  whittle "  above  all  things, 
dried  her  tears,  and  ran  for  her  shade  hat ; 
and  by  the  time  the  tiny  brown  seeds  were 
sprinkled  into  the  brown  earth  of  the  borders, 
both  the  girls  were  themselves  again.  Dr. 
Carr  appeared  from  his  retirement  half  an 
hour  later.  A  note  had  come  for  him  mean- 
while, but  somehow  no  one  had  quite  liked 
to  knock  at  the  door  and  deliver  it. 

Elsie  handed  it  to  him  now,  with  a  timid, 
anxious  look,  whose  import  seemed  to  strike 
him,  for  he  laughed  a  little,  and  pinched  her 
cheek  as  he  read. 

"  I  've  been  writing  to  Dr.  Hope  about  the 
children,"  he  said  ;  "  that 's  all.  Don't  wait 
dinner  for  me,  chicks.  I  'm  off  for  the  Cor- 
ners to  see  a  boy  who  's  had  a  fall,  and  I  '11 
get  a  bite  there.  Order  something  good  for 
tea,  Elsie ;  and  afterward  we  '11  have  a  game 
of  cribbage  if  I  'm  not  called  out.  We  must 
be  as  jolly  as  we  can,  or  Clover  will  scold  us 
when  she  comes  back." 

Meanwhile  the  three  travellers  were  faring 
through  the  first  stage  of  their  journey  very 


106  CLOVER. 

comfortably.  The  fresh  air  and  change 
brightened  Phil ;  he  ate  a  good  dinner,  and 
afterward  took  quite  a  long  nap  on  a  sofa, 
Clover  sitting  by  to  keep  him  covered  and 
see  that  he  did  not  get  cold.  Late  in  the 
evening  they  changed  to  the  express  train, 
and  there  again,  Phil,  after  being  tucked  up 
behind  the  curtains  of  his  section,  went  to 
sleep  and  passed  a  satisfactory  night,  so  that 
he  reached  Chicago  looking  so  much  better 
than  when  they  left  Burnet  that  his  father's 
heart  would  have  been  lightened  could  he 
have  seen  him. 

Mrs.  Ashe  came  down  to  the  station  to 
meet  them,  together  with  Mr.  Dayton,  —  a 
kind,  friendly  man  with  a  tired  but  particu- 
larly pleasant  face.  All  the  necessary  trans- 
fer of  baggage,  etc.,  was  made  easy,  and  they 
were  carried  off  at  once  to  the  hotel  where 
rooms  had  been  secured.  There  they  were 
rapturously  received  by  Amy,  and  introduced 
to  Mrs.  Dayton,  a  sweet,  spirited  little  matron, 
with  a  face  as  kindly  as  her  husband's,  but 
not  so  worn.  Mr.  Dayton  looked  as  if  for 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  107 

years  he  had  been  bearing  the  whole  weight 
of  a  railroad  on  his  shoulders,  as  in  one 
sense  it  may  be  said  that  he  had. 

"  We  have  been  here  almost  a  whole  day," 
said  Amy,  who  had  taken  possession,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  of  her  old  perch  on  Katy's  knee. 
"  Chicago  is  the  biggest  place  you  ever  saw, 
Tanta;  but  it  isn't  so  pretty  as  Burnet.  And 
oh !  don't  you  think  Car  Forty-seven  is  nice, 
—  the  one  we  are  going  out  West  in,  you 
know  ?  And  this  morning  Mr.  Dayton  took 
us  to  see  it.  It 's  the  cunningest  place  that 
ever  was.  There  's  one  dear  little  drawer  in 
the  wall  that  Mrs.  Dayton  says  I  may  have 
to  keep  Mabel's  things  in.  I  never  saw  a 
drawer  in  a  car  before.  There  's  a  lovely 
little  bedroom  too,  and  such  a  nice  washing- 
basin,  and  a  kitchen,  and  all  sorts  of  things. 
I  can  hardly  wait  till  I  show  them  to  you. 
Don't  you  think  that  travelling  is  the  most 
delightful  thing  in  the  world,  Miss  Clover?" 

"  Yes  —  if  only  —  people  —  don't  get  too 
tired,"  said  Clover,  with  an  anxious  glance  at 
Phil,  as  he  lay  back  in  an  easy-chair.  She  did 


108  CLOVER. 

not  dare  say,  "  if  Phil  does  n't  get  too  tired," 
for  she  had  already  discovered  that  nothing 
annoyed  him  so  much  as  being  talked  about 
as  an  invalid,  and  that  he  was  very  apt  to 
revenge  himself  by  doing  something  impru- 
dent immediately  afterward,  to  disguise  from 
an  observant  world  the  fact  that  he  could  n't 
do  it  without  running  a  risk.  Like  most  boys, 
he  resented  being  "  fussed  over,"  —  a  fact 
which  made  the  care  of  him  more  difficult 
than  it  would  otherwise  have  been. 

The  room  which  had  been  taken  for  Clover 
and  Katy  looked  out  on  the  lake,  which  was 
not  far  away ;  and  the  reach  of  blue  water 
would  have  made  a  pretty  view  if  trains  of 
cars  had  not  continually  steamed  between  it 
and  the  hotel,  staining  the  sky  and  blurring 
the  prospect  with  their  smokes.  Katy  won- 
dered how  it  happened  that  the  early  settlers 
who  laid  out  Chicago  had  not  bethought 
themselves  to  secure  this  fine  water  frontage 
as  an  ornament  to  the  future  city ;  but  Mr. 
Dayton  explained  that  in  the  rapid  growth  of 
Western  towns,  things  arranged  themselves 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  109 

rather  than  were  arranged  for,  and  that  the 
first  pioneers  had  other  things  to  think  about 
than  what  a  New  Englander  would  call 
"  sightliness,"  —  and  Katy  could  easily  believe 
this  to  be  true. 

Car  Forty-seven  was  on  the  track  when 
they  drove  to  the  station  at  noon  next  day. 
It  was  the  end  car  of  a  long  express  train, 
which,  Mr.  Dayton  told  them,  is  considered 
the  place  of  honor,  and  generally  assigned 
to  private  cars.  It  was  of  an  old-fashioned 
pattern,  and  did  not  compare,  as  they  were 
informed,  with  the  palaces  on  wheels  built 
nowadays  for  the  use  of  railroad  presidents 
and  directors.  But  though  Katy  heard  of 
cars  with  French  beds,  plunge  baths,  open 
fireplaces,  and  other  incredible  luxuries,  Car 
Forty-seven  still  seemed  to  her  inexperienced 
eyes  and  Clover's  a  marvel  of  comfort  and 
convenience. 

A  small  kitchen,  a  store  closet,  and  a  sort 
of  baggage-room,  fitted  with  berths  for  two 
servants,  occupied  the  end  of  the  car  nearest 
the  engine.  Then  came  a  dressing-closet, 


110  CLOVER. 

with  ample  marble  basins  where  hot  water  as 
well  as  cold  was  always  on  tap ;  then  a  wide 
state-room,  with  a  bed  on  either  side,  and 
then  a  large  compartment  occupying  the 
middle  of  the  car,  where  by  day  four  nice 
little  dining-tables  could  be  set,  with  a  seat 
on  either  side,  and  by  night  six  sleeping  sec- 
tions made  up.  The  rest  of  the  car  was  ar- 
ranged as  a  sitting-room,  glassed  all  around, 
and  furnished  with  comfortable  seats  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  a  writing-desk,  two  or  three  tables 
of  different  sizes,  and  various  small  lockers 
and  receptacles,  fitted  into  the  partitions  to 
serve  as  catch-alls  for  loose  articles  of  all  sorts. 

Bunches  of  lovely  roses  and  baskets  of 
strawberries  stood  on  the  tables;  and  quite 
a  number  of  the  Daytons'  friends  had  come 
down  to  see  them  off,  each  bringing  some  sort 
of  good-by  gift  for  the  travellers,  —  flowers, 
hothouse  grapes,  early  cherries,  or  home- 
made cake.  They  were  all  so  cordial  and 
pleasant  and  so  interested  in  Phil,  that  Katy 
and  Clover  lost  their  hearts  to  each  in  turn, 
and  forever  afterward  were  ready  to  stand 


CAR  FORTY-SEVEN.  Ill 

up  for  Chicago  as  the  kindest  place  that  ever 
was  seen. 

Then  amid  farewells  and  good  wishes  the 
train  moved  slowly  out  of  the  station,  and  the 
inmates  of  Car  Forty-seven  proceeded  to  "  go 
to  housekeeping,"  as  Mrs.  Dayton  expressed  it, 
and  to  settle  themselves  and  their  belongings 
in  these  new  quarters.  Mrs.  Ashe  and  Amy, 
it  was  decided,  should  occupy  the  state-room, 
and  the  other  ladies  were  to  dress  there  when 
it  was  convenient.  Sections  were  assigned  to 
everybody,  —  Clover's  opposite  Phil's  so  that 
she  might  hear  him  if  he  needed  anything  in 
the  night ;  and  Mr.  Dayton  called  for  all  the 
bonnets  and  hats,  and  amid  much  laughter  pro- 
ceeded to  pin  up  each  in  thick  folds  of  news- 
paper, and  fasten  it  on  a  hook  not  to  be  taken 
down  till  the  end  of  the  journey.  Mabel's 
feathered  turban  took  its  turn  with  the  rest, 
at  Amy's  particular  request.  Dust  was  the 
main  thing  to  be  guarded  against,  and  Katy, 
having  been  duly  forewarned,  had  gone  out 
in  the  morning,  and  bought  for  herself  and 
Clover  soft  hats  of  whity-gray  felt  and  veils 


112  CLOVER. 

of  the  same  color,  like  those  which  Mrs.  Day- 
ton and  Polly  had  provided  for  the  journey, 
and  which  had  the  advantage  of  being  light 
as  well  as  unspoilable. 

But  there  was  no  dust  that  first  morning, 
as  the  train  ran  smoothly  across  the  fertile 
prairies  of  Illinois  first,  and  then  of  Iowa, 
between  fields  dazzling  with  the  fresh  green 
of  wheat  and  rye,  and  waysides  studded  with 
such  wild-flowers  as  none  of  them  had  ever 
seen  or  dreamed  of  before.  Pink  spikes  and 
white  and  vivid  blue  spikes  ;  masses  of  brown 
and  orange  cups,  like  low-growing  tulips ; 
ranks  of  beautiful  vetches  and  purple  lu- 
pines ;  escholtzias,  like  immense  sweeps  of 
golden  sunlight;  wild  sweet  peas;  trumpet- 
shaped  blossoms  whose  name  no  one  knew,  — 
all  flung  broadcast  over  the  face  of  the  land, 
and  in  such  stintless  quantities  that  it  dazzled 
the  mind  to  think  of  as  it  did  the  eyes  to  be- 
hold them.  The  low-lying  horizons  looked 
infinitely  far  off;  the  sense  of  space  was  con- 
fusing. Here  and  there  appeared  a  home- 
stead, backed  with  a  "break-wind"  of  thickly- 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  113 

planted  trees;  but  the  general  impression 
was  of  vast,  still  distance,  endless  reaches  of 
sky,  and  uncounted  flowers  growing  for  their 
own  pleasure  and  with  no  regard  for  human 
observation. 

In  studying  Car  Forty-seven,  Katy  was 
much  impressed  by  the  thoroughness  of  Mrs. 
Dayton's  preparations  for  the  comfort  of  her 
party.  Everything  that  could  possibly  be 
needed  seemed  to  have  been  thought  of,  — 
pins,  cologne,  sewing  materials,  all  sorts  of 
softening  washes  for  the  skin,  to  be  used  on 
the  alkaline  plains,  sponges  to  wet  and  fasten 
into  the  crown  of  hats,  other  sponges  to 
breathe  through,  medicines  of  various  kinds, 
sticking-plaster,  witch-hazel  and  arnica,  whisk 
brooms,  piles  of  magazines  and  novels,  tele- 
graph blanks,  stationery.  Nothing  seemed 
forgotten.  Clover  said  that  it  reminded  her 
of  the  mother  of  the  Swiss  Family  Robinson 
and  that  wonderful  bag  out  of  which  every- 
thing was  produced  that  could  be  thought  of, 
from  a  grand  piano  to  a  bottle  of  pickles  ; 
and  after  that  "  Mrs.  Robinson  "  became  Mrs. 

8 


114  CLOVER. 

Dayton's  pet  name  among  her  fellow-travel- 
lers. She  adopted  it  cheerfully  ;  and  her 
"  wonderful  bag  "  proving  quite  as  unfailing 
and  trustworthy  as  that  of  her  prototype,  the 
title  seemed  justified. 

Pretty  soon  after  starting  came  their  first 
dinner  on  the  car.  Such  a  nice  one  !  —  soup, 
roast  chicken  and  lamb,  green  peas,  new  pota- 
toes, stewed  tomato;  all  as  hot  and  as  per- 
fectly served  as  if  they  had  been  "on  dry 
land,"  as  Amy  phrased  it.  There  was  fresh 
curly  lettuce  too,  with  mayonnaise  dressing, 
and  a  dessert  of  strawberries  and  ice-cream,  — 
the  latter  made  and  frozen  on  the  car,  whose  re- 
sources seemed  inexhaustible.  The  cook  had 
been  attached  to  Car  Forty-seven  for  some 
years,  and  had  a  celebrity  on  his  own  road 
for  the  preparation  of  certain  dishes,  which 
no  one  else  could  do  as  well,  however  many 
markets  and  refrigerators  and  kitchen  ranges 
might  be  at  command.  One  of  these  dishes 
was  a  peculiar  form  of  cracked  wheat,  made 
crisp  and  savory  after  some  mysterious  fash- 
ion, and  eaten  with  thick  cream.  Like  most 


CAR  FORTY-SEVEN.  115 

chefs,  the  cook  liked  to  do  the  things  in  which 
he  excelled,  and  finding  that  it  was  admired, 
he  gave  the  party  this  delicious  wheat  every 
morning. 

"  The  car  seems  paved  with  bottles  of  Apollinaris 
and  with  lemons,"  wrote  Katy  to  her  father. 
"  There  seems  no  limit  to  the  supply.  Just  as 
surely  as  it  grows  warm  and  dusty,  and  we  begin  to 
remember  that  we  are  thirsty,  a  tinkle  is  heard,  and 
Bayard  appears  with  a  tray,  —  iced  lemonade,  if  you 
please,  made  with  Apollinaris  water  with  straw- 
berries floating  on  top  !  What  do  you  think  of  that 
at  thirty  miles  an  hour  ?  Bayard  is  the  colored 
butler.  The  cook  is  named  Roland.  We  have  a 
fine  flavor  of  peers  and  paladins  among  us,  you 
perceive. 

"  The  first  day  out  was  cool  and  delicious,  and  we 
had  no  dust.  At  six  o  'clock  we  stopped  at  a  junc- 
tion, and  our  car  was  detached  and  run  off  on  a 
siding.  This  was  because  Mr.  Dayton  had  business 
in  the  place,  and  we  were  to  wait  and  be  taken  on 
by  the  next  express  train  soon  after  midnight.  At 
first  they  ran  us  down  to  a  pretty  place  by  the  side 
of  the  river,  where  it  was  cool,  and  we  could  look 
out  on  the  water  and  a  green  bank  opposite,  and  we 
thought  we  were  going  to  have  such  a  nice  night ; 


116  CLOVER. 

but  the  authorities  changed  their  minds,  and  pres- 
ently to  our  deep  disgust  a  locomotive  came  puffing 
down  the  road,  clawed  us  up,  ran  us  back,  and 
finally  left  us  in  the  middle  of  innumerable  tracks 
and  switches  just  where  all  the  freight  trains  came 
in  and  met.  All  night  long  they  were  arriving  and 
going  out.  Cars  loaded  with  cattle,  cars  loaded 
with  sheep,  with  pigs  !  Such  bleatings  and  mooings 
and  gruntings,  I  never  heard  in  all  my  life  before. 
I  could  think  of  nothing  but  that  verse  in  the 
Psalms,  '  Strong  bulls  of  Bashan  have  beset  me 
round,'  and  could  only  hope  that  the  poor  animals 
did  not  feel  half  as  badly  as  they  sounded. 

"  Then  long  before  light,  as  we  lay  listening  to 
these  lamentable  roarings  and  grunts,  and  quite  un- 
ablo  to  sleep  for  heat  and  noise,  came  the  blessed 
express,  and  presently  we  were  away  out  of  all  the 
din,  with  the  fresh  air  of  the  prairie  blowing  in ;  and 
in  no  time  at  all  we  were  so  sound  asleep  that  it 
seemed  but  a  minute  before  morning.  Phil's  slum- 
bers lasted  so  long  that  we  had  to  breakfast  with- 
out him,  for  Mrs.  Dayton  would  not  let  us  wake  him 
up.  You  can't  think  how  kind  she  is,  and  Mr. 
Dayton  too ;  and  this  way  of  travelling  is  so  easy 
and  delightful  that  it  scarcely  seems  to  tire  one  at 
all.  Phil  has  borne  the  journey  wonderfully  well 
so  far." 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  117 

At  Omaha,  on  the  evening  of  the  second 
day,  Clover's  future  "  matron "  and  adviser, 
Mrs.  Watson,  was  to  join  them.  She  ha$  been 
telegraphed  to  from  Chicago,  and  had  replied, 
so  that  they  knew  she  was  expecting  them. 
Clover's  thoughts  were  so  occupied  with  curi- 
osity as  to  what  she  would  turn  out  to  be, 
that  she  scarcely  realized  that  she  was  cross- 
ing the  Mississippi  for  the  first  time,  and 
she  gave  scant  attention  to  the  low  bluffs 
which  bound  the  river,  and  on  which  the  In- 
dians used  to  hold  their  councils  in  those 
dim  days  when  there  was  still  an  "  undis- 
covered West"  set  down  in  geographies  and 
atlases. 

As  soon  as  they  reached  the  Omaha  side  of 
the  river,  she  and  Katy  jumped  down  from 
the  car,  and  immediately  found  themselves 
face  to  face  with  an  anxious-looking  little 
old  lady,  with  white  hair  frizzled  and  banged 
over  a  puckered  forehead,  and  a  pair  of 
watery  blue  eyes  peering  from  beneath,  evi- 
dently in  search  of  somebody.  Her  hands 
were  quite  full  of  bags  and  parcels,  and  a 


118  CLOVER. 

little  heap  of  similar  articles  lay  on  the  plat- 
form near  her,  of  which  she  seemed  afraid  to 
lose  sight  for  a  moment. 

"  Oh,  is  it  Miss  Carr  ?  "  was  her  first  saluta- 
tion. "  I  'm  Mrs.  Watson.  I  thought  it  might 
be  you,  from  the  fact  that  you  got  out  of  that 
car,  and  it  seems  rather  different —  I  am 
quite  relieved  to  see  you.  I  did  n't  know  but 
something —  My  daughter  she  said  to  me 
as  I  was  coming  away,  '  Now,  Mother,  don't 
lose  yourself,  whatever  you  do.  It  seems 
quite  wild  to  think  of  you  in  Canyon  this  and 
Canyon  that,  and  the  Garden  of  the  Gods ! 
Do  get  some  one  to  keep  an  eye  on  you,  or 
we  shall  never  hear  of  you  again.  You  '11 — ' 
It 's  quite  a  comfort  that  you  have  got  here. 
I  supposed  you  would,  but  the  uncertainty  — 
Oh,  dear !  that  man  is  carrying  off  my 
trunks.  Please  run  after  him  and  tell  him 
to  bring  them  back ! " 

"It's  all  right;  he  's  the  porter,"  explained 
Mr.  Dayton.  "  Did  you  get  your  checks  for 
Denver  or  St.  Helen's?" 

"  Oh,  I  have  n't  any  checks  yet.     I  did  n't 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  119 

know  which  it  ought  to  be,  so  I  waited  till  — 
Miss  Carr  and  her  brother  would  see  to  it 
for  me  I  knew,  and  I  wrote  my  daughter  — 
My  friend,  Mrs.  Peters,  —  I  've  been  staying 
with  her,  you  know,  —  was  sick  in  bed,  and 
I  would  n't  let  —  Dear  me !  what  has  that 
gentleman  gone  off  for  in  such  a  hurry  ?  " 

"  He  has  gone  to  get  your  checks,"  said 
Clover,  divided  between  diversion  and  dismay 
at  this  specimen  of  her  future  "  matron." 
"  We  only  stay  here  a  few  minutes,  I  believe. 
Do  you  know  exactly  when  the  train  starts, 
Mrs.  Watson?" 

"  No,  dear,  I  don't.  I  never  know  any- 
thing about  trains  and  things  like  that. 
Somebody  always  has  to  tell  me,  and  put  me 
on  the  cars.  I  shall  trust  to  you  and  your 
brother  to  do  that  now.  It 's  a  great  comfort 
to  have  a  gentleman  to  see  to  things  for 
you." 

A  gentleman  !     Poor  Philly ! 

Mr.  Dayton  now  came  back  to  them.  It 
was  lucky  that  he  knew  the  station  and  was 
used  to  the  ways  of  railroads^  for  it  appeared 


120  CLOVEK. 

that  Mrs.  Watson  had  made  no  arrangements 
whatever  for  her  journey,  but  had  blindly 
devolved  the  care  of  herself  and  her  belong- 
ings on  her  "young  friends,"  as  she  called 
Clover  and  Phil.  She  had  no  sleeping  sec- 
tion secured  and  no  tickets,  and  they  had  to 
be  procured  at  the  last  moment  and  in  such  a 
scramble  that  the  last  of  her  parcels  was 
handed  on  to  the  platform  by  a  porter,  at  full 
run,  after  the  train  was  in  motion.  She  was 
not  at  all  flurried  by  the  commotion,  though 
others  were,  and  blandly  repeated  that  she 
knew  from  the  beginning  that  all  would  be 
right  as  soon  as  Miss  Carr  and  her  brother 
arrived. 

Mrs.  Dayton  had  sent  a  courteous  invita- 
tion to  the  old  lady  to  come  to  Car  Forty- 
seven  for  tea,  but  Mrs.  Watson  did  not  at  all 
like  being  left  alone  meantime,  and  held  fast 
to  Clover  when  the  others  moved  to  go. 

"  I  'm  used  to  being  a  good  deal  looked 
after,"  she  explained.  "  All  the  family  know 
my  ways,  and  they  never  do  let  me  be  alone 
much.  I  'm  taken  faint  sometimes ;  and  the 


CAK   FORTY-SEVEN.  121 

doctor  says  it 's  my  heart  or  something  that 's 
the  cause  of  it,  so  my  daughter  she  —  You 
ain't  going,  my  dear,  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  must  look  after  my  brother,"  said  poor 
Clover ;  "  he  's  been  ill,  you  know,  and  this 
is  the  time  for  his  medicine." 

"  Dear  me  !  is  he  ill  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Watson,  in 
an  aggrieved  tone.  "  I  was  n't  prepared  for 
that.  You'll  have  your  hands  pretty  full  with 
him  and  me  both,  won't  you  ?  —  for  though 
I  'm  well  enough  just  now,  there  's  no  know- 
ing what  a  day  may  bring  forth,  and  you're 
all  I  have  to  depend  upon.  You  're  sure  you 
must  go  ?  It  seems  as  if  your  sister  —  Mrs. 
Worthing,  is  that  the  name  ?  —  might  see  to 
the  medicine,  and  give  you  a  little  freedom. 
Don't  let  your  brother  be  too  exacting,  dear. 
It  is  the  worst  thing  for  a  young  man.  I  '11 
sit  here  a  little  while,  and  then  I  '11  —  The 
conductor  will  help  me,  I  suppose,  or  perhaps 
that  gentleman  might  —  I  hate  to  be  left 
by  myself." 

These  were  the  last  words  which  Clover 
heard  as  she  escaped.  She  entered  Car  Forty- 


122  CLOVER. 

seven  with  such  a  rueful  and  disgusted  coun- 
tenance that  everybody  burst  out  laughing. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Miss  Clover  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Dayton.  "  Has  your  old  lady  left  some- 
thing after  all  ?" 

"Don't  call  her  my  old  lady!  I'm  sup- 
posed to  be  her  young  lady,  under  her 
charge,"  said  Clover,  trying  to  smile.  But 
the  moment  she  got  Katy  to  herself,  she 
burst  out  with, — 

"  My  dear,  what  am  I  going  to  do  ?  It 's 
really  too  dreadful.  Instead  of  some  one  to 
help  me,  which  is  what  papa  meant,  Mrs. 
Watson  seems  to  depend  on  me  to  take  all 
the  care  of  her ;  and  she  says  she  has  faint- 

9  V 

ing  fits  and  disease  of  the  heart !  How  can  I 
take  care  of  her  ?  Phil  needs  me  all  the 
time,  and  a  great  deal  more  than  she  does ; 
I  don't  see  how  I  can." 

"  You  can't,  of  course.  You  are  here  to 
take  care  of  Phil ;  and  it  is  out  of  the  question 
that  you  should  have  another  person  to  look 
after.  But  I  think  you  must  mistake  Mrs. 
Watson,  Clovy.  I  know  that  Mrs.  Hall  wrote 


CAR  FORTY-SEVEN.  123 

plainly  about  Phil's  illness,  for  she  showed  me 
the  letter." 

"Just  wait  till  you  hear  her  talk,"  cried 
the  exasperated  Clover.  "  You  will  find  that 
I  did  n't  mistake  her  at  all.  Oh,  why  did 
Mrs.  Hall  interfere?  It  would  all  seem  so 
easy  in  comparison  —  so  perfectly  easy  —  if 
only  Philly  and  I  were  alone  together." 

Katy  thought  that  Clover  was  fretted  and 
disposed  to  exaggerate ;  but  after  Mrs.  Wat- 
son joined  them  a  little  later,  she  changed 
her  opinion.  The  old  lady  was  an  inveterate 
talker,  and  her  habit  of  only  half  finishing  her 
sentences  made  it  difficult  to  follow  the  mean- 
derings  of  her  rambling  discourse.  It  turned 
largely  on  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Phillips,  her 
husband,  children,  house,  furniture,  habits, 
tastes,  and  the  Phillips  connection  generally. 

"She's  the  only  one  I've  got,"  she  in- 
formed Mrs.  Dayton  ;  "  so  of  course  she  's  all- 
important  to  me.  Jane  Phillips  —  that  's 
Henry's  youngest  sister  —  often  says  that 
really  of  all  the  women  she  ever  knew 
Ellen  is  the  most  —  And  there  's  plenty  to 


124  CLOVER. 

do  always,  of  course,  with  three  children 
and  such  a  large  elegant  house  and  company 
coming  all  the  —  It 's  lucky  that  there  's 
plenty  to  do  with.  Henry  's  very  liberal. 
He  likes  to  have  things  nice,  so  Ellen  she  — 
Why,  when  I  was  packing  up  to  come  away  he 
brought  me  that  repousse  fruit-knife  there  in 
my  bag  —  Oh,  it 's  in  my  other  bag  !  Never 
mind  ;  I  '11  show  it  to  you  some  other  time  — 
solid  silver,  you  know.  Bigelow  and  Kennard 
—  their  things  always  good,  though  expensive; 
and  my  son-in-law  he  said,  'You  're  going  to  a 
fruit  country,  and  — '  Mrs.  Peters  does  n't 
think  there  is  so  much  fruit,  though.  All  sent 
on  from  California,  as  I  wrote,  —  and  I  guess 
Ellen  and  Henry  were  surprised  to  hear  it." 

Katy  held  serious  counsel  with  herself  that 
night  as  to  what  she  should  do  about  this  ex- 
traordinary "  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend  " 
whom  the  Fates  had  provided  for  Clover. 
She  saw  that  her  father,  from  very  over-anx- 
iety, had  made  a  mistake,  and  complicated 
Clover's  inevitable  cares  with  a  most  unde- 
sirable companion,  who  would  add  to  rather 


CAR  FORTY-SEVEN.  125 

than  relieve  them.  She  could  not  decide 
what  was  best  to  do ;  and  in  fact  the  time 
was  short  for  doing  anything,  for  the  next 
evening  would  bring  them  to  Denver,  and 
poor  Clover  must  be  left  to  face  the  situa- 
tion by  herself  as  best  she  might. 

Katy  finally  concluded  to  write  her  father 
plainly  how  things  stood,  and  beg  him  to  set 
Clover's  mind  quite  at  rest  as  to  any  respon- 
sibility for  Mrs.  Watson,  and  also  to  have  a 
talk  with  that  lady  herself,  and  explain  mat- 
ters as  clearly  as  she  could.  It  seemed  all 
that  was  in  her  power. 

Next  day  the  party  woke  to  a  wonderful 
sense  of  lightness  and  exhilaration  which  no 
one  could  account  for  till  the  conductor  told 
them  that  the  apparently  level  plain  over 
which  they  were  speeding  was  more  than  four 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  It  seemed  im- 
possible to  believe  it.  Hour  by  hour  they 
climbed ;  but  the  climb  was  imperceptible. 
Now  four  thousand  six  hundred  feet  of  ele- 
vation was  reported,  now  four  thousand  eight 
hundred,  at  last  above  five  thousand  j  and  still 


126  CLOVER. 

there  seemed  about  them  nothing  but  a  vast 
expanse  of  flat  levels,  —  the  table-lands  of 
Nebraska.  There  was  little  that  was  beau- 
tiful in  the  landscape,  which  was  principally 
made  up  of  wide  reaches  of  sand,  dotted  with 
cactus  and  grease-wood  and  with  the  droll 
cone-shaped  burrows  of  the  prairie-dogs,  who 
could  be  seen  gravely  sitting  on  the  roofs 
of  their  houses,  or  turning  sudden  somer- 
saults in  at  the  holes  on  top  as  the  train 
whizzed  by.  They  passed  and  repassed  long 
links  of  a  broad  shallow  river  which  the  maps 
showed  to  be  the  Platte,  and  which  seemed 
to  be  made  of  two-thirds  sand  to  one-third 
water.  Now  and  again  mounted  horsemen 
appeared  in  the  distance  whom  Mr.  Dayton 
said  were  "  cow-boys ; "  but  no  cows  were 
visible,  and  the  rapidly  moving  figures  were 
neither  as  picturesque  nor  as  formidable  as 
they  had  expected  them  to  be. 

Flowers  were  still  abundant,  and  their 
splendid  masses  gave  the  charm  of  color  to 
the  rather  arid  landscape.  Soon  after  noon 
dim  blue  outlines  came  into  view,  which 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  127 

grew  rapidly  bolder  and  more  distinct,  and 
revealed  themselves  as  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
—  the  "  backbone  of  the  American  Conti- 
nent," of  which  we  have  all  heard  so  much 
in  geographies  and  the  newspapers.  It  was 
delightful,  in  spite  of  dust  and  glare,  to  sit 
with  that  sweep  of  magnificent  air  rushing 
into  their  lungs,  and  watch  the  great  ranges 
grow  and  grow  and  deepen  in  hue,  till  they 
seemed  close  at  hand.  To  Katy  they  were 
like  enchanted  land.  Somewhere  on  the 
other  side  of  them,  on  the  dim  Pacific  coast, 
her  husband  was  waiting  for  her  to  come,  and 
the  wheels  seemed  to  revolve  with  a  regular 
rhythmic  beat  to  the  cadence  of  the  old  Scotch 
song,  — 

"  And  will  I  see  his  face  again; 
And  will  I  hear  him  speak'?  " 

But  to  Clover  the  wheels  sang  something  less 
jubilant,  and  she  studied  the  mountains  on  her 
little  travelling-map,  and  measured  their  dis- 
tance from  Burnet  with  a  sigh.  They  were 
the  walls  of  what  seemed  to  her  a  sort  of 
prison,  as  she  realized  that  presently  she 


128  CLOVER. 

should  be  left  alone  among  them,  Katy  and 
Polly  gone,  and  these  new  friends  whom  she 
had  learned  to  like  so  much,  —  left  alone  with 
Phil  and,  what  was  worse,  with  Mrs.  Watson  ! 
There  was  a  comic  side  to  the  latter  situation, 
undoubtedly,  but  at  the  moment  she  could 
not  enjoy  it. 

Katy  carried  out  her  intention.  She  made 
a  long  call  on  Mrs.  Watson  in  her  section, 
and  listened  patiently  to  her  bemoanings  over 
the  noise  of  the  car  which  had  kept  her  from 
sleeping;  the  "lady  in  gray  over  there"  who 
had  taken  such  a  long  time  to  dress  in  the 
morning  that  she  —  Mrs.  Watson  —  could 
not  get  into  the  toilet-room  at  the  precise 
moment  that  she  wished  ;  the  newspaper  boy 
who  would  not  let  her  "  just  glance  over  " 
the  Denver  "  Republican "  unless  she  bought 
and  paid  for  it  ("  and  I  only  wanted  to  see  the 
Washington  news,  my  dear,  and  something 
about  a  tin  wedding  in  East  Dedham.  My 
mother  came  from  there,  and  I  recognized  one 
of  the  names  and  —  But  he  took  it  away 
quite  rudely ;  and  when  I  complained,  the 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  129 

conductor  would  n't  attend  to  what  I  —  ") ; 
and  the  bad  piece  of  beefsteak  which  had  been 
brought  for  her  breakfast  at  the  eating-station. 
Katy  soothed  and  comforted  to  the  best  of  her 
ability,  and  then  plunged  into  her  subject, 
explaining  Phil's  very  delicate  condition  and 
the  necessity  for  constant  watchfulness  on  the 
part  of  Clover,  and  saying  most  distinctly  and 
in  the  plainest  of  English  that  Mrs.  Watson 
must  not  expect  Clover  to  take  care  of  her 
too.  The  old  lady  was  not  in  the  least  of- 
fended ;  but  her  replies  were  so  incoherent 
that  Katy  was  not  sure  that  she  understood 
the  matter  any  better  for  the  explanation. 

"  Certainly,  my  dear,  certainly.  Your  broth- 
er does  n't  appear  so  very  sick ;  but  he  must  be 
looked  after,  of  course.  Boys  always  ought  to 
be.  I  '11  remind  your  sister  if  she  seems  to  be 
forgetting  anything.  I  hope  I  shall  keep  well 
myself,  so  as  not  to  be  a  worry  to  her.  And 
we  can  take  little  excursions  together,  I  dare 
say  —  Girls  always  like  to  go,  and  of  course 
an  older  person —  Oh,  no,  your  brother  won't 
need  her  so  much  as  you  think.  He  seems 

9 


130  CLOVEB. 

pretty  strong  to  me,  and —  You  mustn't 
worry  about  them,  Mrs.  Worthing —  We  shall 
all  get  on  very  well,  I  'm  sure,  provided  I  don't 
break  down,  and  I  guess  I  sha'n't,  though  they 
say  almost  every  one  does  in  this  air.  Why, 
•we  shall  be  as  high  up  as  the  top  of  Mount 
Washington." 

Katy  went  back  to  Forty-seven  in  despair, 
to  comfort  herself  with  a  long  confidential 
chat  with  Clover  in  which  she  exhorted  her 
not  to  let  herself  be  imposed  upon. 

"Be  good  to  her,  and  make  her  as  happy 
as  you  can,  but  don't  feel  bound  to  wait  on 
her,  and  run  her  errands.  I  am  sure  papa 
would  not  wish  it ;  and  it  will  half  kill  you  if 
you  attempt  it.  Phil,  till  he  gets  stronger, 
is  all  you  can  manage.  You  not  only  have 
to  nurse  him,  you  know,  but  to  keep  him 
happy.  It 's  so  bad  for  him  to  mope.  You 
want  all  your  time  to  read  with  him,  and  take 
walks  and  drives ;  that  is,  if  there  are  any 
carriages  at  St.  Helen's.  Don't  let  Mrs. 
Watson  seize  upon  you,  Clover.  I  'm  awfully 
afraid  that  she  means  to,  and  I  can  see  that 


CAR   FORTY-SEVEN.  131 

she  is  a  real  old  woman  of  the  sea.  Once  she 
gets  on  your  back  you  will  never  be  able  to 
throw  her  off." 

"She  shall  not  get  on  my  back,"  said  Clover, 
straightening  her  small  figure  ;  "but  doesn't  it 
seemunnecessary  that  I  should  have  an  old  woman 
of  the  sea  to  grapple  with  as  well  as  Phil  ?  " 

"Provoking  things  are  apt  to  seem  unneces- 
sary, I  fancy.  You  must  n't  let  yourself  get 
worried,  dear  Clovy.  The  old  lady  means 
kindly  enough,  I  think,  only  she  's  naturally 
tiresome,  and  has  become  helpless  from  habit. 
Be  nice  to  her,  but  hold  your  own.  Self-pres< 
ervation  is  the  first  law  of  Nature." 

Just  at  dusk  the  train  reached  Denver,  and 
the  dreaded  moment  of  parting  came.  There 
were  kisses  and  tearful  good-byes,  but  not  much 
time  was  allowed  for  either.  The  last  glimpse 
that  Clover  had  of  Katy  was  as  the  train  moved 
away,  when  she  put  her  head  far  out  of  the  win- 
dow of  Car  Forty-seven  to  kiss  her  hand  once 
more,  and  call  back,  in  a  tone  oracular  and 
solemn  enough  to  suit  King  Charles  the  First, 
his  own  admonitorv  word,  "  Remember ! " 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ST.  HELEN'S. 

1EVER  in  her  life  had  Clover  felt  so 
small  and  incompetent  and  so  very, 
very  young  as  when  the  train  with 
Car  Forty-seven  attached  vanished  from  sight, 
and  left  her  on  the  platform  of  the  Denver 
station  with  her  two  companions.  There  they 
stood,  Phil  on  one  side  tired  and  drooping, 
Mrs.  Watson  on  the  other  blinking  anxiously 
about,  both  evidently  depending  on  her  for 
guidance  and  direction.  For  one  moment  a 
sort  of  pale  consternation  swept  over  her. 
Then  the  sense  of  the  inevitable  and  the 
nobler  sense  of  responsibility  came  to  her 
aid.  She  rallied  herself;  the  color  returned 
to  her  cheeks,  and  she  said  bravely  to  Mrs. 
Watson,  — 

"  Now,  if  you  and  Phil  will  just  sit  down 
on  that  settee  over  there  and  make  yourselves 


ST.  HELEN'S.  133 

comfortable,  I  will  find  out  about  the  trains 
for  St.  Helen's,  and  where  we  had  better  go 
for  the  night." 

Mrs.  Watson  and  Phil  seated  themselves  ac- 
cordingly, and  Clover  stood  for  a  moment 
considering  what  she  should  do.  Outside  was 
a  wilderness  of  tracks  up  and  down  which 
trains  were  puffing,  in  obedience,  doubtless,  ta 
some  law  understood  by  themselves,  but  which 
looked  to  the  uninitiated  like  the  direst  con- 
fusion. Inside  the  station  the  scene  was 
equally  confused.  Travellers  just  arrived  and 
just  going  away  were  rushing  in  and  out; 
porters  and  baggage-agents  with  their  hands 
full  hurried  to  and  fro.  No  one  seemed  at 
leisure  to  answer  a  question  or  even  to  listen 
to  one. 

Just  then  she  caught  sight  of  a  shrewd,  yet 
good-natured  face  looking  at  her  from  the 
window  of  the  ticket-office  ;  and  without  hesi- 
tation she  went  up  to  the  enclosure.  It  was 
the  ticket-agent  whose  eye  she  had  caught. 
He  was  at  liberty  at  the  moment,  and  his 
answers  to  her  inquiries,  though  brief,  were 


134  CLOVER. 

polite  and  kind.  People  generally  did  soften 
to  Clover.  There  was  such  an  odd  and  pretty 
contrast  between  her  girlish  appealing  look 
and  her  dignified  little  manner,  like  a  child 
trying  to  be  stately  but  only  succeeding  in 
being  primly  sweet. 

The  next  train  for  St.  Helen's  left  at  nine 
in  the  morning,  it  seemed,  and  the  ticket- 
agent  recommended  the  Sherman  House  as  a 
hotel  where  they  would  be  very  comfortable 
for  the  night. 

"  The  omnibus  is  just  outside,"  he  said  en- 
couragingly. "  You  '11  find  it  a  first-class 
house,  — best  there  is  west  of  Chicago.  From 
the  East  ?  Just  so.  You  Ve  not  seen  our 
opera-house  yet,  I  suppose.  Denver  folks  are 
rather  proud  of  it.  Biggest  in  the  country 
except  the  new  one  in  New  York.  Hope 
you  '11  find  time  to  visit  it." 

"  I  should  like  to,"  said  Clover ;  "  but  we 
are  here  for  only  one  night.  My  brother's 
been  ill,  and  we  are  going  directly  on  to  St. 
Helen's.  I'm  very  much  obliged  to  you." 

Her  look  of  pretty  honest  gratitude  seemed 


ST.  HELEN'S.  135 

to  touch  the  heart  of  the  ticket-man.  He 
opened  the  door  of  his  fastness,  and  came  out 
—  actually  came  out !  —  and  with  a  long  shrill 
whistle  summoned  a  porter  whom  he  addressed 
as,  "Here,  you  Pat,"  and  bade,  "Take  this 
lady's  things,  and  put  them  into  the  'bus  for 
the  Sherman ;  look  sharp  now,  and  see  that 
she's  all  right."  Then  to  Clover, — 

"  You  '11  find  it  very  comfortable  at  the 
Sherman,  Miss,  and  I  hope  you  '11  have  a 
good  night.  If  you  '11  come  to  me  in  the 
morning,  I'll  explain  about  the  baggage 
transfer." 

Clover  thanked  this  obliging  being  again, 
and  rejoined  her  party,  who  were  patiently 
sitting  where  she  had  left  them. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Mrs.  Watson  as  the 
omnibus  rolled  off,  "  I  had  no  idea  that 
Denver  was  such  a  large  place.  Street  cars 
too  !  Well,  I  declare  !  " 

"  And  what  nice  shops ! "  said  Clover, 
equally  surprised. 

Her  ideas  had  been  rather  vague  as  to 
what  was  to  be  expected  in  the  close  neigh- 


136  CLOVER. 

borhood  of  the  Rocky  Mountains;  but  she 
knew  that  Denver  had  only  existed  a  few 
years,  and  was  prepared  to  find  everything 
looking  rough  and  unfinished. 

"  Why,  they  have  restaurants  here  and 
jewellers'  shops ! "  she  cried.  "  Look,  Phil, 
what  a  nice  grocery !  We  need  n't  have 
packed  all  those  oatmeal  biscuits  if  only  we 
had  known.  And  electric  lights  !  How  won- 
derful !  But  of  course  St.  Helen's  is  quite 
different." 

Their  amazement  increased  when  they 
reached  the  hotel,  and  were  taken  in  a  large 
dining-room  to  order  dinner  from  a  bill  of 
fare  which  seemed  to  include  every  known 
luxury,  from  Oregon  salmon  and  Lake  Supe- 
rior white-fish  to  frozen  sherbets  and  Califor- 
nia peaches  and  apricots.  But  wonderment 
yielded  to  fatigue,  and  again  as  Clover  fell 
asleep  she  was  conscious  of  a  deep  depression. 
What  had  she  undertaken  to  do  ?  How 
could  she  do  it? 

But  a  night  of  sound  sleep  followed  by 
such  a  morning  of  unclouded  brilliance  is  is 


ST.  HELEN'S.  137 

seldom  seen  east  of  Colorado  banished  these 
misgivings.  Courage  rose  under  the  stimu- 
lus of  such  air  and  sunshine. 

"I  must  just  live  for  each  day  as  it  comes," 
said  little  Clover  to  herself,  "  do  my  best 
as  things  turn  up,  keep  Phil  happy,  and  sat- 
isfy Mrs.  Watson,  —  if  I  can, — and  not  worry 
about  to-morrows  or  yesterdays.  That  is  the 
only  safe  way,  and  I  won't  forget  if  I  can 
help  it." 

With  these  wise  resolves  she  ran  down 
stairs,  looking  so  blithe  and  bright  that  Phil 
cheered  at  the  sight  of  her,  and  lost  the  long 
morning  face  he  had  got  up  with,  while  even 
Mrs.  Watson  caught  the  contagion,  and  be- 
came fairly  hopeful  and  content.  A  little 
leaven  of  good-will  and  good  heart  in  one 
often  avails  to  lighten  the  heaviness  of  many. 

The  distance  between  Denver  and  St. 
Helen's  is  less  than  a  hundred  miles,  but  as 
the  railroad  has  to  climb  and  cross  a  range 
of  hills  between  two  and  three  thousand  feet 
high,  the  journey  occupies  several  hours.  As 
the  train  gradually  rose  higher  and  higher, 


138  CLOVER. 

the  travellers  began  to  get  wide  views,  first 
of  the  magnificent  panorama  of  mountains 
which  lies  to  the  northwest  of  Denver,  sixty 
miles  away,  with  Long's  Peak  in  the  middle, 
and  after  crossing  the  crest  of  the  "  Divide," 
where  a  blue  little  lake  rimmed  with  wild- 
flowers  sparkled  in  the  snn,  of  the  more  south- 
ern ranges.  After  a  while  they  found  them- 
selves running  parallel  to  a  mountain  chain 
of  strange  and  beautiful  forms,  green  almost 
to  the  top,  and  intersected  with  deep  ravines 
and  cliffs  which  the  conductor  informed  them 
were  "  canyons."  They  seemed  quite  near  at 
hand,  for  their  bases  sank  into  low  rounded 
hills  covered  with  woods,  these  melted  into 
undulating  table-lands,  and  those  again  into  a 
narrow  strip  of  park-like  plain  across  which 
ran  the  track.  Flowers  innumerable  grew  on 
this  plain,  mixed  with  grass  of  a  tawny  brown- 
green.  There  were  cactuses,  red  and  yellow, 
scarlet  and  white  gillias,  tall  spikes  of  yucca 
in  full  bloom,  and  masses  of  avsuperb  white 
poppy  with  an  orange-brown  centre,  whose 
blue-green  foliage  was  prickly  like  that  of 


ST.  HELEN'S.  139 

the  thistle.  Here  and  there  on  the  higher 
uplands  appeared  strange  rock  shapes  of  red 
and  pink  and  pale  yellow,  which  looked  like 
castles  with  towers  and  pinnacles,  or  like 
primitive  fortifications.  Clover  thought  it 
all  strangely  beautiful,  but  Mrs.  Watson  found 
fault  with  it  as  "  queer." 

"  It  looks  unnatural,  somehow,"  she  ob- 
jected ;  "  not  a  bit  like  the  East.  Red  never 
was  a  favorite  color  of  mine.  Ellen  had  a 
magenta  bonnet  once,  and  it  always  wor- 
ried —  But  Henry  liked  it,  so  of  course  — 
People  can't  see  things  the  same  way.  Now 
the  green  hat  she  had  winter  before  last 
was —  Don't  you  think  those  mountains  are 
dreadfully  bright  and  distinct?  I  don't  like 
such  high-colored  rocks.  Even  the  green 
looks  red,  somehow.  I  like  soft,  hazy  moun- 
tains like  Blue  Hill  and  Wachusett.  Ellen 
spent  a  summer  up  at  Princeton  once.  It  was 
when  little  Cynthia  had  diphtheria — she's 
named  after  me,  you  know,  and  Henry  he 
thought  —  But  I  don't  like  the  staring  kind 
like  these ;  and  somehow  those  buildings, 


140  CLOVER. 

which  the  conductor  says  are  not  buildings 
but  rocks,  make  my  flesh  creep." 

"They'd  be  scrumptious  places  to  repel 
attacks  of  Indians  from,"  observed  Phil;  "two 
or  three  scouts  with  breech-loaders  up  on  that 
scarlet  wall  there  could  keep  off  a  hundred 
Piutes." 

"  I  don't  feel  that  way  a  bit,"  Clover  waa 
saying  to  Mrs.  Watson.  "I  like  the  co^or, 
it 's  so  rich  ;  and  I  think  the  mountains  are 
perfectly  beautiful.  If  St.  Helen's  is  like  this 
I  am  going  to  like  it,  I  know." 

St.  Helen's,  when  they  reached  it,  proved 
to  be  very  much  "like  this,"  only  more  so,  as 
Phil  remarked.  The  little  settlement  was 
built  on  a  low  plateau  facing  the  mountains, 
and  here  the  plain  narrowed,  and  the  beauti- 
ful range,  seen  through  the  clear  atmosphere, 
seemed  only  a  mile  or  two  away,  though  in 
reality  it  was  eight  or  ten.  To  the  east  the 
plain  widened  again  into  great  upland  sweeps 
like  the  Kentish  Downs,  with  here  and  there 
a  belt  of  black  woodland,  and  here  and  there 
a  line  of  low  bluffs.  Viewed  from  a  height, 


ST.  HELEN'S.  141 

with  the  cloud-shadows  sweeping  across  it,  it 
had  the  extent  and  splendor  of  the  sea,  and 
looked  very  much  like  it. 

The  town,  seen  from  below,  seemed  a  larger 
place  than  Clover  had  expected,  and  again  she 
felt  the  creeping,  nervous  feeling  come  over 
her.  But  before  the  train  had  fairly  stopped, 
a  brisk,  active  little  man  jumped  on  board, 
and  walking  into  the  car,  began  to  look  about 
him  with  keen,  observant  eyes.  After  one 
sweeping  glance,  he  came  straight  to  where 
Clover  was  collecting  her  bags  and  parcels, 
held  out  his  hand,  and  said  in  a  pleasant 
voice,  "  I  think  this  must  be  Miss  Carr." 

"  I  am  Dr.  Hope,"  he  went  on  ;  "  your 
father  telegraphed  when  you  were  to  leave 
Chicago,  and  I  have  come  down  to  two  or 
three  trains  in  the  hope  of  meeting  you." 

"  Have  you,  indeed  ?  "  said  Clover,  with  a 
rush  of  relief.  "  How  very  kind  of  you ! 
And  so  papa  telegraphed  !  I  never  thought 
of  that.  Phil,  here  is  Dr.  Hope,  papa's  friend ; 
Dr.  Hope,  Mrs.  Watson." 

"  This  is  really  a  very  agreeable  attention, 


142  CLOVER. 

—  your  coming  to  meet  us,"  said  Mrs.  "Wat- 
son ;  "a  very  agreeable  attention  indeed. 
Well,  I  shall  write  Ellen  —  that 's  my  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Phillips,  you  know  —  that  before  we 
had  got  out  of  the  cars,  a  gentleman  —  And 
though  I've  always  been  in  the  habit  of  going 
about  a  good  deal,  it's  always  been  in  the 
East,  of  course,  and  things  are  —  What  are 
we  going  to  do  first,  Dr.  Hope  ?  Miss  Carr 
has  a  great  deal  of  energy  for  a  girl,  but  nat- 
urally —  I  suppose  there  's  an  hotel  at  St. 
Helen's.  Ellen  is  rather  particular  where 
I  stay.  '  At  your  age,  Mother,  you  must 
be  made  comfortable,  whatever  it  costs,'  she 
says ;  and  so  I —  An  only  daughter,  you 
know  —  but  you  '11  attend  to  all  those  things 
for  us  now,  Doctor." 

"  There  's  quite  a  good  hotel,  "  said  Dr. 
Hope,  his  eyes  twinkling  a  little;  "I  '11  show  it 
to  you  as  we  drive  up.  You'll  find  it  very 
comfortable  if  you  prefer  to  go  there.  But 
for  these  young  people  I  've  taken  rooms  at  a 
boarding-house,  a  quieter  and  less  expensive 
place.  I  thought  it  was  what  your  father 


ST.  HELEN'S.  143 

would  prefer,"  lie  added  in  a  lower  tone  to 
Clover. 

"  I  am  sure  he  would,"  she  replied ;  but 
Mrs.  Watson  broke  in,  — 

"  Oh,  I  shall  go  wherever  Miss  Carr  goes. 
She 's  under  my  care,  you  know  —  Though 
at  the  same  time  I  must  say  that  in  the  long 
run  I  have  generally  found  that  the  most 
expensive  places  turn  out  the  cheapest.  As 
Ellen  often  says,  get  the  best  and  —  What 
do  they  charge  at  this  hotel  that  you  speak 
of,  Dr.  Hope  ? 

"  The  Shoshone  House  ?  About  twenty- 
five  dollars  a  week,  I  think,  if  you  make  a 
permanent  arrangement." 

"  That  is-  a  good  deal,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Watson,  meditatively,  while  Clover  hastened 
to  say,  — 

"  It  is  a  great  deal  more  than  Phil  and  I 
can  spend,  Dr.  Hope ;  I  am  glad  you  have 
chosen  the  other  place  for  us." 

"I  suppose  it  is  better,"  admitted  Mrs. 
Watson ;  but  when  they  gained  the  top  of  the 
hill,  and  a  picturesque,  many-gabled,  many- 


144  CLOVER. 

balconied  structure  was  pointed  out  as  the 
Shoshone,  her  regrets  returned,  and  she  be- 
gan again  to  murmur  that  very  often  the  most 
expensive  places  turned  out  the  cheapest  in 
the  end,  and  that  it  stood  to  reason  that  they 
must  be  the  best.  Dr.  Hope  rather  en- 
couraged this  view,  and  proposed  that  she 
should  stop  and  look  at  some  rooms ;  but  no, 
she  could  not  desert  her  young  charges  and 
would  go  on,  though  at  the  same  time  she 
must  say  that  her  opinion  as  an  older  person 
who  had  seen  more  of  the  world  was  —  She 
was  used  to  being  consulted.  Why,  Addy 
Phillips  would  n't  order  that  crushed  straw- 
berry bengaline  of  hers  till  Mrs.  Watson  saw 
the  sample,  and —  But  girls  had  their  own 
ideas,  and  were  bound  to  carry  them  out, 
Ellen  always  said  so,  and  for  her  part  she 
knew  her  duty  and  meant  to  do  it! 

Dr.  Hope  flashed  one  rapid,  comical  look  at 
Clover.  Western  life  sharpens  the  wits,  if  it 
does  nothing  else,  and  Westerners  as  a  general 
thing  become  pretty  good  judges  of  charac- 
ter. It  had  not  taken  ten  minutes  for  the 


ST.  HELEN'S.  145 

keen-witted  little  doctor  to  fathom  the  pecu- 
liarities of  Clover's  "chaperone,"  and  he  would 
most  willingly  have  planted  her  in  the  con- 
genial soil  of  the  Shoshone  House,  which 
would  have  provided  a  wider  field  for  her  rest- 
lessness and  self- occupation,  and  many  more 
people  to  listen  to  her  narratives  and  sympa- 
thize with  her  complaints.  But  it  was  no 
use.  She  was  resolved  to  abide  by  the  for- 
tunes of  her  "  young  friends." 

While  this  discussion  was  proceeding,  the 
carriage  had  been  rolling  down  a  wide  street 
running  along  the  edge  of  the  plateau,  oppo- 
site the  mountain  range.  Pretty  houses 
stood  on  either  side  in  green,  shaded  door- 
yards,  with  roses  and  vine-hung  piazzas  and 
nicely-cut  grass. 

"  Why,  it  looks  like  a  New  England  town," 
said  Clover,  amazed ;  "  I  thought  there  were 
no  trees  here." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Dr.  Hope  smiling. 
"  You  came,  like  most  Eastern  people,  pre- 
pared to  find  us  sitting  in  the  middle  of  a 

sandy  waste,  on  cactus  pincushions,  picking 

10 


146  CLOVER. 

our  teeth  with  bowie-knives,  and  with  no 
neighbors  but  Indians  and  grizzly  bears. 
Well ;  sixteen  years  ago  we  could  have 
filled  the  bill  pretty  well.  Then  there  was 
not  a  single  house  in  St.  Helen's,  —  not  even 
a  tent,  and  not  one  of  the  trees  that  you  see 
here  had  been  planted.  Now  we  have  three 
railroads  meeting  at  our  depot,  a  population 
of  nearly  seven  thousand,  electric  lights,  tele- 
phones, a  good  opera-house,  a  system  of  works 
which  brings  first-rate  spring  water  into  the 
town  from  six  miles  away,  —  in  short,  pretty 
much  all  the  modern  conveniences." 

"  But  what  to  made  the  place  grow  so 
fast  ?  "  asked  Clover. 

"  If  I  may  be  allowed  a  professional  pun, 
it  is  built  up  on  coughings.  It  is  a  town 
for  invalids.  Half  the  people  here  came  out 
for  the  benefit  of  their  lungs." 

"  Is  n't  that  rather  depressing  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  more  so  if  most  of  them  did 
not  look  so  well  that  no  one  would  suspect 
them  of  being  ill.  Here  we  are." 

Clover  looked   out   eagerly.      There   was 


ST.  HELEN'S.  147 

nothing  picturesque  about  the  house  at  whose 
gate  the  carriage  had  stopped.  It  was  a  large 
shabby  structure,  with  a  piazza  above  as  well 
as  below,  and  on  these  piazzas  various  people 
were  sitting  who  looked  unmistakably  ill. 
The  front  of  the  house,  however,  commanded 
the  fine  mountain  view. 

"You  see,"  explained  Dr.  Hope,  drawing 
Clover  aside,  "  boarding-places  that  are  both 
comfortable  and  reasonable  are  rather  scarce  at 
St.  Helen's.  I  know  all  about  the  table  here 
and  the  drainage ;  and  the  view  is  desirable, 
and  Mrs.  Marsh,  who  keeps  the  house,  is  one  of 
the  best  women  we  have.  She 's  from  down 
your  way  too,  —  Barnstable,  Mass.,  I  think." 

Clover  privately  wondered  how  Barnstable, 
Mass.,  could  be  classed  as  "  down  "  the  same 
way  with  Burnet,  not  having  learned  as  yet 
that  to  the  soaring  Western  mind  that  insig- 
nificant fraction  of  the  whole  country  known 
as  "  the  East,"  means  anywhere  from  Maine 
to  Michigan,  and  that  such  trivial  geographical 
differences  as  exist  between  the  different  sec- 
tions seem  scarcely  worth  consideration  when 


148  CLOVER. 

compared  with  the  vast  spaces  which  lie  be- 
yond toward  the  setting  sun.  But  perhaps 
Dr.  Hope  was  only  trying  to  tease  her,  for  he 
twinkled  amusedly  at  her  puzzled  face  as  he 
went  on,  — 

"  I  think  you  can  make  yourselves  comfort- 
able here.  It  was  the  best  I  could  do.  But 
your  old  lady  would  be  much  better  suited  at 
the  Shoshone,  and  I  wish  she  'd  go  there." 

Clover  could  not  help  laughing.  "  I  wish 
that  people  would  n't  persist  in  calling  Mrs. 
Watson  my  old  lady,"  she  thought. 

Mrs.  Marsh,  a  pleasant-looking  person,  came 
to  meet  them  as  they  entered.  She  showed 
Clover  and  Phil  their  rooms,  which  had  been 
secured  for  them,  and  then  carried  Mrs.  Wat- 
son off  to  look  at  another  which  she  could 
have  if  she  liked. 

The  rooms  were  on  the  third  floor.  A  big 
front  one  for  Phil,  with  a  sunny  south  window 
and  two  others  looking  towards  the  west  and 
the  mountains,  and,  opening  from  it,  a  smaller 
room  for  Clover. 

"Your  brother  ought  to  live  in  fresh  air 


ST.  HELEN'S.  149 

both  in  doors  and  out,"  said  Dr.  Hope  ;  "  and 
I  thought  this  large  room  would  answer  as  a 
sort  of  sitting  place  for  both  of  you.'* 

"  It 's  ever  so  nice ;  and  we  are  both  more 
obliged  to  you  than  we  can  say/'  replied 
Clover,  holding  out  her  hand  as  the  doctor 
rose  to  go.  He  gave  a  pleased  little  laugh  as 
he  shook  it. 

"  That 's  all  right,"  he  said.  "  I  owe  your 
father's  children  any  good  turn  in  my  power, 
for  he  was  a  good  friend  to  me  when  I 
was  a  poor  boy  just  beginning,  and  needed 
friends.  That  's  my  house  with  the  red 
roof,  Miss  Clover.  You  see  how  near  it  is ; 
and  please  remember  that  besides  the  care 
of  this  boy  here,  I  'm  in  charge  of  you  too, 
and  have  the  inside  track  of  the  rest  of  the 
friends  you  are  going  to  make  in  Colorado. 
I  expect  to  be  called  on  whenever  you  want 
anything,  or  feel  lonesome,  or  are  at  a  loss  in 
any  way.  My  wife  is  coming  to  see  you  as 
soon  as  you  have  had  your  dinner  and  got 
settled  a  little.  She  sent  those  to  you," 
indicating  a  vase  on  the  table,  filled  with 


150  CLOVER. 

flowers.  They  were  of  a  sort  which  Clover 
had  never  seen  before,  —  deep  cup-shaped 
blossoms  of  beautiful  pale  purple  and  white. 

"  Oh,  what  are  they  ?  "  she  called  after  the 
doctor. 

"  Anemones,"  he  answered,  and  was  gone. 

"  What  a  dear,  nice,  kind  man ! "  cried 
Clover.  "  Is  n't  it  delightful  to  have  a  friend 
right  off  who  knows  papa,  and  does  things  for 
us  because  we  are  papa's  children  ?  You  like 
him,  don't  you,  Phil ;  and  don't  you  like  your 
room  ?  " 

"  Yes;  only  it  does  n't  seem  fair  that  I  should 
have  the  largest." 

"  Oh,  yes ;  it  is  perfectly  fair.  I  never  shall 
want  to  be  in  mine  except  when  I  am  dress- 
ing or  asleep.  I  shall  sit  here  with  you  all  the 
time ;  and  is  n't  it  lovely  that  we  have  those 
enchanting  mountains  just  before  our  eyes? 
I  never  saw  anything  in  my  life  that  I  liked 
so  much  as  I  do  that  one." 

It  was  Cheyenne  Mountain  at  which  she 
pointed,  the  last  of  the  chain,  and  set  a  little 
apart,  as  it  were,  from  the  others.  There  is  as 


ST.  HELEN'S.  151 

much  difference  between  mountains  as  be- 
tween people,  as  mountain  lovers  know,  and 
like  people  they  present  characters  and  in- 
dividualities of  their  own.  The  noble  lines  of 
Mount  Cheyenne  are  full  of  a  strange  dignity ; 
but  it  is  dignity  mixed  with  an  indefinable 
charm.  The  canyons  nestle  about  its  base,  as 
children  at  a  parent's  knee ;  its  cedar  forests 
clothe  it  like  drapery  ;  it  lifts  its  head  to  the 
dawn  and  the  sunset;  and  the  sun  seems  to 
love  it  best  of  all,  and  lies  longer  on  it  than 
on  the  other  peaks. 

Clover  did  not  analyze  her  impressions,  but 
she  fell  in  love  with  it  at  first  sight,  and  loved 
it  better  and  better  all  the  time  that  she  stayed 
at  St.  Helen's.  "  Dr.  Hope  and  Mount  Chey- 
enne were  our  first  friends  in  the  place,"  she 
used  to  say  in  after-days. 

"  How  nice  it  is  to  be  by  ourselves !  "  said 
Phil,  as  he  lay  comfortably  on  the  sofa  watch- 
ing Clover  unpack.  "  I  get  so  tired  of  being  all 
the  time  with  people.  Dear  me  !  the  room 
looks  quite  homelike  already." 

Clover  had  spread  a  pretty  towel  over  the 


152  CLOVER. 

bare  table,  laid  some  books  and  her  writing- 
case  upon  it,  and  was  now  pinning  up  a  pho- 
tograph over  the  mantel-piece. 

"  We  '11  make  it  nice  by-and-by,"  she 
said  cheerfully ;  "  and  now  that  I  *ve  tidied 
up  a  little,  I  think  I  '11  go  and  see  what  has 
become  of  Mrs.  Watson.  She  '11  think  I  have 
quite  forgotten  her.  You  '11  lie  quiet  and  rest 
till  dinner,  won't  you?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Phil,  who  looked  very  sleepy ; 
"  I  'm  all  right  for  an  hour  to  come.  Don't 
hurry  back  if  the  ancient  female  wants  you." 

Clover  spread  a  shawl  over  him  before  she 
went  and  shut  one  of  the  windows. 

"  We  won't  have  you  catching  cold  the 
very  first  morning,"  she  said.  "  That  would 
be  a  bad  story  to  send  back  to  papa." 

She  found  Mrs.  Watson  in  very  low  spirits 
about  her  room. 

"  It 's  not  that  it 's  small,"  she  said.  "  I 
don't  need  a  very  big  room ;  but  I  don't  like 
being  poked  away  at  the  back  so.  I  've 
always  had  a  front  room  all  my  life.  And 
at  Ellen's  in  the  summer,  I  have  a  corner 


"Clover  spread  a  shawl  over  him  before  she  left,  and  shut  one 
of  the  windows."  —  Page  152. 


ST.  HELEN'S.  153 

chamber,  and  see  the  sea  and  everything  — 
It 's  an  elegant  room,  solid  black  walnut  with 
marble  tops,  and  —  Lighthouses  too ;  I  have 
three  of  them  in  view,  and  they  are  really 
company  for  me  on  dark  nights.  I  don't  want 
to  be  fussy,  but  really  to  look  out  on  noth- 
ing but  a  side  yard  with  some  trees  —  and 
they  are  n't  elms  or  anything  that  I  'm  used 
to,  but  a  new  kind.  There  's  a  thing  out 
there,  too,  that  I  never  saw  before,  which 
looks  like  one  of  the  giant  ants'  nests  of 
Africa  in  '  Morse's  Geography '  that  I  used  to 
read  about  when  I  was  —  It  makes  me  really 
nervous." 

Clover  went  to  the  window  to  look  at  the 
mysterious  object.  It  was  a  cone-shaped  thing 
of  white  unburned  clay,  whose  use  she  could 
not  guess.  She  found  later  that  it  was  a 
receptacle  for  ashes. 

"I  suppose  your  rooms  are  front  ones?" 
went  on  Mrs.  Watson,  querulously. 

"  Mine  is  n't.  It 's  quite  a  little  one  at  the 
side.  I  think  it  must  be  just  under  this. 
Phil's  is  in  front,  and  is  a  nice  large  one  with 


154  CLOVER. 

a  view  of  the  mountains.  I  wish  there  were 
one  just  like  it  for  you.  The  doctor  says  that 
it 's  very  important  for  him  to  have  a  great 
deal  of  air  in  his  room." 

"Doctors  always  say  that;  and  of  course 
Dr.  Hope,  being  a  friend  of  yours  and  all  — 
It 's  quite  natural  he  should  give  you  the  pref- 
erence. Though  the  Phillips's  are  accus- 
tomed —  but  there,  it 's  no  use ;  only,  as  I 
tell  Ellen,  Boston  is  the  place  for  me,  where 
my  family  is  known,  and  people  realize  what 
I  'm  used  to." 

"  I  'm  so  sorry,"  Clover  said  again.  "  Per- 
haps somebody  will  go  away,  and  Mrs.  Marsh 
have  a  front  room  for  you  before  long." 

"  She  did  say  that  she  might.  I  suppose 
she  thinks  some  of  her  boarders  will  be  dying 
off.  In  fact,  there  is  one  —  that  tall  man  in 
gray  in  the  reclining-chair  —  who  did  n't  seem 
to  me  likely  to  last  long.  Well,  we  will  hope 
for  the  best.  I  'm  not  one  who  likes  to  make 
difficulties." 

This  prospect,  together  with  dinner,  which 
was  presently  announced,  raised  Mrs.  Watson's 


ST.  HELEN'S.  155 

spirits  a  little,  and  Clover  left  her  in  the 
parlor,  exchanging  experiences  and  discuss- 
ing symptoms  with  some  ladies  who  had  sat 
opposite  them  at  table.  Mrs.  Hope  came  for 
a  call ;  a  pretty  little  woman,  as  friendly 
and  kind  as  her  husband.  Then  Clover  and 
Phil  went  out  for  a  stroll  about  the  town. 
Their  wonder  increased  at  every  turn ;  that 
a  place  so  well  equipped  and  complete  in  its 
appointments  could  have  been  created  out  of 
nothing  in  fifteen  years  was  a  marvel ! 

After  two  or  three  turns  they  found  them- 
selves among  shops,  whose  plate-glass  win- 
dows revealed  all  manner  of  wares,  —  confec- 
tionery, new  books,  pretty  glass  and  china, 
bonnets  of  the  latest  fashion.  One  or  two 
large  pharmacies  glittered  with  jars  —  purple 
and  otherwise  —  enough  to  tempt  any  num- 
ber of  Rosamonds.  Handsome  carriages  drawn 
by  fine  horses  rolled  past  them,  with  well- 
dressed  people  inside.  In  short,  St.  Helen's 
was  exactly  like  a  thriving  Eastern  town  of 
double  its  size,  with  the  difference  that  here 
a  great  many  more  people  seemed  to  ride 


156  CLOVER. 

than  to  drive.  Some  one  cantered  past  every 
moment,  —  a  lady  alone,  two  or  three  girls 
together,  or  a  party  of  rough-looking  men  in 
long  boots,  or  a  single  ranchman  sitting  loose 
in  his  stirrups,  and  swinging  a  stock  whip. 

Clover  and  Phil  were  standing  on  a  corner, 
looking  at  some  "  Rocky  Mountain  Curiosi- 
ties" displayed  for  sale,  —  minerals,  Pueblo 
pottery,  stuffed  animals,  and  Indian  blankets ; 
and  Phil  had  just  commented  on  the  beauty 
of  a  black  horse  which  was  tied  to  a  post  close 
by,  when  its  rider  emerged  from  a  shop,  and 
prepared  to  mount. 

He  was  a  rather  good-looking  young  fel- 
low, sunburnt  and  not  very  tall,  but  with  a 
lithe  active  figure,  red-brown  eyes  and  a  long 
mustache  of  tawny  chestnut.  He  wore  spurs 
and  a  broad-brimmed  sombrero,  and  carried 
in  his  hand  a  whip  which  seemed  two-thirds 
lash.  As  he  put  his  foot  into  the  stirrup,  he 
turned  for  another  look  at  Clover,  whom  he 
had  rather  stared  at  while  passing,  and  then 
changing  his  intention,  took  it  out  again,  and 
came  toward  them. 


ST.  HELEN'S.  157 

"  I  beg  your  pardon/'  he  said ;  "  but  are  n't 
you  —  is  n't  it  —  Clover  Carr  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Clover,  wondering,  but  still 
without  the  least  notion  as  to  whom  the 
stranger  might  be. 

"  You  've  forgotten  me  ?  "  went  on  the 
young  man,  with  a  smile  which  made  his  face 
very  bright.  "  That 's  rather  hard  too ;  for  I 
knew  you  at  once.  I  suppose  1  'm  a  good 
deal  changed,  though,  and  perhaps  I  should  n't 
have  made  you  out  except  for  your  eyes  ; 
they  're  just  the  same.  Why,  Clover,  I  'm 
your  cousin,  Clarence  Page ! " 

"  Clarence  Page  !  "  cried  Clover,  joyfully  ; 
"  not  really  !  Why,  Clarence,  I  never  should 
have  known  you  in  the  world,  and  I  can't 
think  how  you  came  to  know  me.  I  was 
only  fourteen  when  I  saw  you  last,  and  you 
were  quite  a  little  boy.  What  good  luck 
that  we  should  meet,  and  on  our  first  day 
too  !  Some  one  wrote  that  you  were  in  Col- 
orado, but  I  had  no  idea  that  you  lived  at 
St.  Helen's." 

"I  don't;    not   much.      I'm    living   on  a 


158  CLOVER. 

ranch  out  that  way,"  jerking  his  elbow 
toward  the  northwest,  "  but  I  ride  in  often  to 
get  the  mail.  Have  you  just  come?  You 
said  the  first  day." 

"  Yes ;  we  only  got  here  this  morning. 
And  this  is  my  brother  Phil.  Don't  you 
recollect  how  I  used  to  tell  you  about  him  at 
Ashburn  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  you  did,"  shaking  hands 
cordially ;  "  she  used  to  talk  about  you  all  the 
time,  so  that  I  felt  intimately  acquainted 
with  all  the  family.  Well,  I  call  this  first* 
rate  luck.  It 's  two  years  since  I  saw  any  one 
from  home." 

«  Home  ?  " 

"  Well ;  the  East,  you  know.  It  all  seems 
like  home  when  you're  out  here.  And  I 
mean  any  one  that  I  know,  of  course. 
People  from  the  East  come  out  all  the  while. 
They  are  as  thick  as  bumblebees  at  St. 
Helen's,  but  they  don't  amount  to  much  un- 
less you  know  them.  Have  you  seen  any- 
thing of  mother  and  Lilly  since  they  got  back 
from  Europe,  Clover?" 


ST.  HELEN'S.  159 

"No,  indeed.  I  haven't  seen  them  since 
we  left  Hillsover.  Katy  has,  though.  She 
met  them  in  Nice  when  she  was  there, 
and  they  sent  her  a  wedding  present. 
You  knew  that  she  was  married,  didn't 
you?" 

"  Yes,  I  got  her  cards.  Pa  sent  them.  He 
writes  oftener  than  the  others  do  ;  and  he 
came  out  once  and  stayed  a  month  on  the 
ranch  with  me.  That  was  while  mother  was 
in  Europe.  Where  are  you  stopping  ?  The 
Shoshone,  I  suppose." 

"  No,  at  a  quieter  place,  —  Mrs.  Marsh's,  on 
the  same  street." 

"  Oh,  I  know  Mother  Marsh.  I  went  there 
when  I  first  came  out,  and  had  caught  the 
mountain  fever,  and  she  was  ever  so  kind  to 
me.  I  'm  glad  you  are  there.  She  's  a  nice 
woman." 

"  How  far  away  is  your  ranch  ?  " 

"  About  sixteen  miles.  Oh,  I  say,  Clover, 
you  and  Phil  must  come  out  and  stay  with 
us  sometime  this  summer.  We'll  have  a 
round-up  for  you  if  you  will." 


160  CLOVER. 

"  What  is  a  *  round-up '  and  who  is  '  us  '  ?  " 
said  Clover,  smiling. 

"  Well,  a  round-up  is  a  kind  of  general 
muster  of  the  stock.  All  the  animals  are 
driven  in  and  counted,  and  the  young  ones 
branded.  It 's  pretty  exciting  sometimes,  I 
can  tell  you,  for  the  cattle  get  wild,  and 
it 's  all  we  can  do  to  manage  them.  You 
should  see  some  of  our  boys  ride  ;  it 's  splen- 
did, and  there 's  one  half-breed  that's  the  best 
hand  with  the  lasso  I  ever  saw.  Phil  will  like 
it,  I  know.  And  '  us  '  is  me  and  my  partner." 

"  Have  you  a  partner  ?  " 

"  Yes,  two,  in  fact ;  but  one  of  them  lives  in 
New  Mexico  just  now,  so  he  does  not  count. 
That's  Bert  Talcott.  He  's  a  New  York  fel- 
low. The  other 's  English,  a  Devonshire  man. 
Geoff  Templestowe  is  his  name." 

"  Is  he  nice  ?  " 

"  You  can  just  bet  your  pile  that  he  is," 
said  Clarence,  who  seemed  to  have  assimi- 
lated Western  slang  with  the  rest  of  the  West. 
"  Wait  till  I  bring  him  to  see  you.  We  '11 
come  in  on  purpose  some  day  soon.  Well,  I 


ST.  HELEN'S.  161 

must  be  going.  Good-by,  Clover ;  good-by, 
Phil.  It's  awfully  jolly  to  have  you  here." 

"  I  never  should  have  guessed  who  it  was," 
remarked  Clover,  as  they  watched  the  active 
figure  canter  down  the  street  and  turn  for  a 
last  flourish  of  the  hat.  "  He  was  the  rough- 
est, scrubbiest  boy  when  we  last  met.  What 
a  fine-looking  fellow  he  has  grown  to  be,  and 
how  well  he  rides !  " 

"  No  wonder ;  a  fellow  who  can  have  a 
horse  whenever  he  has  a  mind  to,"  said  Phil, 
enviously.  "  Life  on  a  ranch  must  be  great 
fun,  I  think." 

"  Yes ;  in  one  way,  but  pretty  rough  and 
lonely  too,  sometimes.  It  will  be  nice  to  go 
out  and  see  Clarence's,  if  we  can  get  some 
lady  to  go  with  us,  won't  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  just  don't  let  it  be  Mrs.  Watson, 
whoever  else  it  is.  She  would  spoil  it  all  if 
she  went" 

"  Now,  Philly,  don't.  We  're  supposed  to 
be  leaning  on  her  for  support." 

"  Oh,  come  now,  lean  on  that  old  thing! 
Why  she  could  n't  support  a  postage  stamp 

11 


162  CLOVER. 

standing  edgewise,  as  the  man  says  in  the 
play.  Do  you  suppose  I  don't  know  how  you 
have  to  look  out  for  her  and  do  everything  ? 
She  's  not  a  bit  of  use." 

"  Yes ;  but  you  and  I  have  got  to  be 
polite  to  her,  Philly.  We  mustn't  forget 
that." 

"Oh,  I  '11  be  polite  enough,  if  she  will  just 
leave  us  alone,"  retorted  Phil. 

Promising ! 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE. 

1HIL  was  better  than  his  word.  He 
was  never  uncivil  to  Mrs.  Watson, 
and  his  distant  manners,  which  really 
signified  distaste,  were  set  down  by  that  lady 
to  boyish  shyness. 

"  They  often  are  like  that  when  they  are 
young,"  she  told  Clover;  "  but  they  get  bravely 
over  it  after  a  while.  He  '11  outgrow  it,  dear, 
and  you  must  n't  let  it  worry  you  a  bit." 

Meanwhile,  Mrs.  Watson's  own  flow  of 
conversation  was  so  ample  that  there  was 
never  any  danger  of  awkward  silences  when 
she  was  present,  which  was  a  comfort.  She 
had  taken  Clover  into  high  favor  now,  and 
Clover  deserved  it,  —  for  though  she  protected 
herself  against  encroachments,  and  resolutely 
kept  the  greater  part  of  her  time  free  for 


164  CLOVER. 

Phil,  she  was  always  considerate,  and  sweet 
in  manner  to  the  older  lady,  and  she  found 
spare  half-hours  every  day  in  which  to  sit  and 
go  out  with  her,  so  that  she  should  not  feel 
neglected.  Mrs.  Watson  grew  quite  fond  of 
her  "  young  friend,"  though  she  stood  a  little 
in  awe  of  her  too,  and  was  disposed  to  be 
jealous  if  any  one  showed  more  attention  to 
Clover  than  to  herself. 

An  early  outburst  of  this  feeling  came  on 
ihe  third  day  after  their  arrival,  when  Mrs. 
Hope  asked  Phil  and  Clover  to  dinner,  and 
did  not  ask  Mrs.  Watson.  She  had  discussed 
the  point  with  her  husband,  but  the  doctor 
"  jumped  on  "  the  idea  forcibly,  and  protested 
that  if  that  old  thing  was  to  come  too,  he 
would  "  have  a  consultation  in  Pueblo,  and  be 
off  in  the  five  thirty  train,  sure  as  fate." 

"  It 's  not  that  I  care,"  Mrs.  Watson  assured 
Clover  plaintively.  "  I  've  had  so  much  done 
for  me  all  my  life  that  of  course  —  But  I 
do  like  to  be  properly  treated.  It  is  n't  as  if 
I  were  just  anybody.  I  don't  suppose  Mrs. 
Hope  knows  much  about  Boston  society  any- 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  165 

way,  but  still —  And  I  should  think  a  girl 
from  South  Framingham  (did  n't  you  say  she 
was  from  South  Framingham?)  would  at  least 
know  who  the  Abraham  Peabodys  are,  and 
they  're  Henry's  —  But  I  don't  imagine  she 
was  much  of  anybody  before  she  was  married ; 
and  out  here  it 's  all  hail  fellow  and  well  met, 
they  say,  though  in  that  case  I  don't  see  — 
Well,  well,  it 's  no  matter,  only  it  seems  queer 
to  me ;  and  I  think  you  'd  better  drop  a  hint 
about  it  when  you  're  there,  and  just  explain 
that  my  daughter  lives  next  door  to  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  when  she  is  in  the  country, 
and  opposite  the  Assistant-Bishop  in  town, 
and  has  one  of  the  Harvard  Overseers  for  a 
near  neighbor,  and  is  distantly  related  to  the 
Reveres !  You  'd  think  even  a  South  Fra- 
mingham girl  must  know  about  the  lantern 
and  the  Old  South,  and  how  much  they  've 
always  been  respected  at  home." 

Clover  pacified  her  as  well  as  she  could,  by 
assurances  that  it  was  not  a  dinner-party,  and 
they  were  only  asked  to  meet  one  girl  whom 
Mrs.  Hope  wanted  her  to  know. 


166  CLOVER. 

"  If  it  were  a  large  affair,  I  am  sure  you 
would  have  been  asked  too,"  she  said,  and 
so  left  her  "  old  woman  of  the  sea "  partly 
consoled. 

It  was  the  most  lovely  evening  possible,  as 
Clover  and  Phil  walked  down  the  street  toward 
Dr.  Hope's.  Soft  shadows  lay  over  the  lower 
spurs  of  the  ranges.  The  canyons  looked  black 
and  deep,  but  the  peaks  still  glittered  in  rosy 
light.  The  mesa  was  in  shadow,  but  the 
nearer  plain  lay  in  full  sunshine,  hot  and 
yellow,  and  the  west  wind  was  full  of  moun- 
tain fragrance. 

Phil  gave  little  skips  as  he  went  along. 
Already  he  seemed  like  a  different  boy.  All 
the  droop  and  languor  had  gone,  and  given 
place  to  an  exhilaration  which  half  frightened 
Clover,  who  had  constant  trouble  in  keeping 
him  from  doing  things  which  she  knew  to  be 
imprudent.  Dr.  Hope  had  warned  her  that 
invalids  often  harmed  themselves  by  over- 
exertion  under  the  first  stimulus  of  the  high 
air. 

"  Why,  how  queer  !  "  she  exclaimed,  stop- 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  167 

ping  suddenly  before  one  of  the  pretty  places 
just  above  Mrs.  Marsh's  boarding-house. 

"  What  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  see  ?  That  yard !  When  we 
came  by  here  yesterday  it  was  all  green  grass 
and  rose-bushes,  and  girls  were  playing  cro- 
quet; and  now,  look,  it's  a  pond  !  " 

Sure  enough  !  There  were  the  rose-bushes 
still,  and  the  croquet  arches ;  but  they  were 
standing,  so  to  speak,  up  to  their  knees  in 
pools  of  water,  which  seemed  several  inches 
deep,  and  covered  the  whole  place,  with  the 
exception  of  the  flagged  walks  which  ran 
from  the  gates  to  the  front  and  side  doors  of 
the  house.  Clover  noticed  now,  for  the  first 
time,  that  these  walks  were  several  inches 
higher  than  the  grass-beds  on  either  side. 
She  wondered  if  they  were  made  so  on  pur- 
pose, and  resolved  to  notice  if  the  next  place 
had  the  same  arrangement. 

But  as  they  reached  the  next  place  and  the 
next,  lo  !  the  phenomenon  was  repeated  and 
Dr.  Hope's  lawn  too  was  in  the  same  condi- 
tion,—  everything  was  overlaid  with  water. 


168  CLOVER. 

They  began  to  suspect  what  it  must  mean, 
and  Mrs.  Hope  confirmed  the  suspicion.  It 
was  irrigation  day  in  Mountain  Avenue,  it 
seemed.  Every  street  in  the  town  had  its 
appointed  period  when  the  invaluable  water, 
brought  from  a  long  distance  for  the  pur- 
pose, was  "  laid  on "  and  kept  at  a  certain 
depth  for  a  prescribed  number  of  hours. 

"  We  owe  our  grass  and  shrubs  and  flower- 
beds entirely  to  this  arrangement,"  Mrs.  Hope 
told  them.  "  Nothing  could  live  through  our 
dry  summers  if  we  did  not  have  the  irrigating 
system." 

"  Are  the  summers  so  dry  ?  "  asked  Clover. 
"  It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  had  a  thunder- 
storm almost  every  day  since  we  came." 

"  We  do  have  a  good  many  thunder- 
storms," Mrs.  Hope  admitted ;  "  but  we  can't 
depend  on  them  for  the  gardens." 

"  And  did  you  ever  hear  such  magnificent 
thunder  ?  "  asked  Dr.  Hope.  "  Colorado 
thunder  beats  the  world." 

"  Wait  till  you  see  our  magnificent  Colora- 
do hail/'  put  in  Mrs.  Hope,  wickedly.  "  That 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  169 

beats  the  world,  too.  It  cuts  our  flowers  to 
pieces,  and  sometimes  kills  the  sheep  on  the 
plains.  We  are  very  proud  of  it.  The  doc- 
tor thinks  everything  in  Colorado  perfection." 

"  I  have  always  pitied  places  which  had  to 
bo  irrigated,"  remarked  Clover,  with  her  eyes 
fixed  on  the  little  twin-lakes  which  yesterday 
were  lawns.  "  But  I  begin  to  think  I  was 
mistaken.  It's  very  superior,  of  course,  to 
have  rains ;  but  then  at  the  East  we  sometimes 
don't  have  rain  when  we  want  it,  and  the 
grass  gets  dreadfully  yellow.  Don't  you  re- 
member, Phil,  how  hard  Katy  and  I  worked 
last  summer  to  keep  the  geraniums  and 
fuschias  alive  in  that  long  drought  ?  Now,  if 
we  had  had  water  like  this  to  come  once  a 
week,  and  make  a  nice  deep  pond  for  us,  how 
different  it  would  have  been !  " 

"  Oh,  you  must  come  out  West  for  real 
comfort,"  said  Dr.  Hope.  "  The  East  is  a 
dreadfully  one-horse  little  place,  anyhow." 

"  But  you  don't  mean  New  York  and  Bos- 
ton when  you  say  '  one-horse  little  place/ 
surely  ?  " 


170  CLOVER. 

"  Don't  I  ? "  said  the  undaunted  doctor. 
u  Wait  till  you  see  more  of  us  out  here." 

"  Here  's  Poppy,  at  last,"  cried  Mrs.  Hope, 
as  a  girl  came  hurriedly  up  the  walk. 
"  You  're  late,  dear." 

"  Poppy,"  whose  real  name  was  Marian 
Chase,  was  the  girl  who  had  been  asked  to 
meet  them.  She  was  a  tall,  rosy  creature,  to 
whom  Clover  took  an  instant  fancy,  and 
seemed  in  perfect  health ;  yet  she  told  them 
that  when  she  came  out  to  Colorado  three 
years  before,  she  had  travelled  on  a  mat- 
tress, with  a  doctor  and  a  trained  nurse  in 
attendance. 

"Your  brother  will  be  as  strong,  or  stronger 
than  I  at  the  end  of  a  year,"  she  said ;  "  or 
if  he  doesn't  get  well  as  fast  as  he  ought,  you 
must  take  him  up  to  the  Ute  Valley.  That 's 
where  I  made  my  first  gain." 

"  Where  is  the  valley  ?  " 

"  Thirty  miles  away  to  the  northwest,  —  up 
there  among  the  mountains.  It  is  a  great 
deal  higher  than  this,  and  such  a  lovely 
peaceful  place.  I  hope  you'll  go  there." 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  171 

"  We  shall,  of  course,  if  Phil  needs  it ;  but  I 
like  St.  Helen's  so  much  that  I  would  rather 
stay  here  if  we  can." 

Dinner  was  now  announced,  and  Mrs.  Hope 
led  the  way  into  a  pretty  room  hung  with 
engravings  and  old  plates  after  the  mod- 
ern fashion,  where  a  white-spread  table  stood 
decorated  with  wild-flowers.,  candle-sticks  with 
little  red-shaded  tapers,  and  a  pyramid  of 
plums  and  apricots.  There  was  the  usual  suc- 
cession of  soup  and  fish  and  roast  and  salad 
which  one  looks  for  at  a  dinner  on  the  sea- 
level,  winding  up  with  ice-cream  of  a  highly 
civilized  description,  but  Clover  could  scarcely 
eat  for  wondering  how  all  these  things  had 
come  there  so  soon,  so  very  soon.  It  seemed 
like  magic,  —  one  minute  the  solemn  peaks 
and  passes,  the  prairie-dogs  and  the  thorny 
plain,  the  next  all  these  portieres  and  rugs 
and  etchings  and  down  pillows  and  pretty  de- 
vices in  glass  and  china,  as  if  some  enchanter's 
wand  had  tapped  the  wilderness,  and  hey, 
presto !  modern  civilization  had  sprung  up 
like  Jonah's  gourd  all  in  a  minute,  or  like  the 


172  CLOVER. 

palace  which  Aladdin  summoned  into  being 
in  a  single  night  for  the  occupation  of  the 
Princess  of  China,  by  the  rubbing  of  his  won- 
derful lamp.  And  then,  just  as  the  fruit- 
plates  were  put  on  the  table,  came  a  call,  and 
the  doctor  was  out  in  the  hall,  "  holloing  "  and 
conducting  with  some  distant  patient  one  of 
those  mysterious  telephonic  conversations 
which  to  those  who  overhear  seem  all  re- 
plies and  no  questions.  It  was  most  remark- 
able, and  quite  unlike  her  preconceived  ideas 
of  what  was  likely  to  take  place  at  the  base 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

A  pleasant  evening  followed.  "  Poppy  " 
played  delightfully  on  the  piano ;  later  came 
a  rubber  of  whist.  It  was  like  home. 

"  Before  these  children  go,  let  us  settle  about 
the  drive,"  said  Dr.  Hope  to  his  wife. 

"Oh,  yes!     Miss  Carr  —  " 

"  Oh,  please,  won't  you  call  me  Clover  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  will,  —  Clover,  then,  —  we  want 
to  take  you  for  a  good  long  drive  to-morrow, 
and  show  you  something ;  but  the  trouble  is, 
the  doctor  and  I  are  at  variance  as  to  what 


MAKING  ACQUAINTANCE.  173 

the  something  shall  be.  I  want  you  to  see 
Odin's  Garden ;  and  the  doctor  insists  that  you 
ought  to  go  to  the  Cheyenne  canyons  first, 
because  those  are  his  favorites.  Now,  which 
shall  it  be  ?  We  wih1  leave  it  to  you." 

"But  how  can  I  choose?  I  don't  know 
either  of  them.  What  a  queer  name, — Odin's 
Garden!" 

"I  '11  tell  you  how  to  settle  it,"  cried  Mar- 
ian Chase,  whose  nickname  it  seemed  had 
been  given  her  because  when  she  first  came 
to  St.  Helen's  she  wore  a  bunch  of  poppies  in 
her  hat.  "  Take  them  to  Cheyenne  to-mor- 
row; and  the  next  day  —  or  Thursday  —  let 
me  get  up  a  picnic  for  Odin's  Garden  ;  just  a 
few  of  our  special  cronies,  —  the  Allans  and 
the  Blanchards  and  Mary  Pelham  and  Will 
Amory.  Will  you,  dear  Mrs.  Hope,  and  be 
our  matron  ?  That  would  be  lovely." 

Mrs.  Hope  consented,  and  Clover  walked 
home  as  if  treading  on  air.  Was  this  the 
St.  Helen's  to  which  she  had  looked  forward 
with  so  much  dread,  —  this  gay,  delightful 
place,  where  such  pleasant  things  happened, 


174  CLOVER. 

and  people  were  so  kind  ?  How  she  wished 
that  she  could  get  at  Katy  and  papa  for  five 
minutes  —  on  a  wishing  carpet  or  something 
—  to  tell  them  how  different  everything  was 
from  what  she  had  expected. 

One  thing  only  marred  her  anticipations 
for  the  morrow,  which  was  the  fear  that  Mrs. 
Watson  might  be  hurt,  and  make  a  scene. 
Happily,  Mrs.  Hope's  thoughts  took  the  same 
direction ;  and  by  some  occult  process  of  in- 
fluence, the  use  of  which  good  wives  under- 
stand, she  prevailed  on  her  refractory  doctor 
to  allow  the  old  lady  to  be  asked  to  join  the 
party. 

So  early  next  morning  came  a  very  polite 
note ;  and  it  was  proposed  that  Phil  should 
ride  the  doctor's  horse,  and  act  as  escort  to 
Miss  Chase,  who  was  to  go  on  horseback  like- 
wise. No  proposal  could  have  been  more 
agreeable  to  Phil,  who  adored  horses,  and  sel- 
dom had  the  chance  to  mount  one ;  so  every 
one  was  pleased,  and  Mrs.  Watson  preened  her 
ancestral  feathers  with  great  satisfaction. 

"You  see,  dear,  how  well  it  was  to  give 


MAKING  ACQUAINTANCE.  175 

that  little  hint  about  the  Reveres  and  the 
Abraham  Peabodys,"  she  said.  Clover  felt 
dreadfully  dishonest;  but  she  dared  not  con- 
fess that  she  had  forgotten  all  about  the  hint, 
still  less  that  she  had  never  meant  to  give 
one.  "  The  better  part  of  valor  is  discretion," 
she  remembered  ;  so  she  held  her  peace, 
though  her  cheeks  glowed  guiltily. 

At  three  o'clock  they  set  forth  in  a  light 
roomy  carriage,  —  not  exactly  a  carryall,  but 
of  the  carryall  family,  —  with  a  pair  of  fast 
horses,  Miss  Chase  and  Phil  cantering  happily 
alongside,  or  before  or  behind,  just  as  it  hap- 
pened. The  sun  was  very  hot ;  but  there  was 
a  delicious  breeze,  and  the  dryness  and  elas- 
ticity of  the  air  made  the  heat  easy  to  bear. 

The  way  lay  across  and  down  the  southern 
slope  of  the  plateau  on  which  the  town  was 
built.  Then  they  came  to  splendid  fields  of 
grain  and  "afalfa,"  —  a  cereal  quite  new  to 
them,  with  broad,  very  green  leaves.  The 
roadside  was  gay  with  flowers,  —  gillias  and 
mountain  balm ;  high  pink  and  purple  spikes, 
like  foxgloves,  which  they  were  told  were 


176  CLOVER. 

pentstemons;  painters'  brush,  whose  green 
tips  seemed  dipped  in  liquid  vermilion,  and 
masses  of  the  splendid  wild  poppies.  They 
crossed  a  foaming  little  river ;  and  a  sharp 
turn  brought  them  into  a  narrower  and  wilder 
road,  which  ran  straight  toward  the  mountain 
side.  This  was  overhung  by  trees,  whose 
shade  was  grateful  after  the  hot  sun. 

Narrower  and  narrower  grew  the  road, 
more  and  more  sharp  the  turns.  They  were 
at  the  entrance  of  a  deep  defile,  up  which  the 
road  wound  and  wound,  following  the  links  of 
the  river,  which  they  crossed  and  recrossed 
repeatedly.  Such  a  wonderful  and  perfect 
little  river,  with  water  clear  as  air  and  cold 
as  ice,  flowing  over  a  bed  of  smooth  granite, 
here  slipping  noiselessly  down  long  slopes  of 
rock  like  thin  films  of  glass,  there  deepen- 
ing into  pools  of  translucent  blue-green  like 
aqua-marine  or  beryl,  again  plunging  down 
in  mimic  waterfalls,  a  sheet  of  iridescent  foam. 
The  sound  of  its  rush  and  its  ripple  was  like 
a  laugh.  Never  was  such  happy  water,  Clo- 
ver thought,  as  it  curved  and  bent  and  swayed 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  177 

this  way  and  that  on  its  downward  course  as 
if  moved  by  some  merry,  capricious  instinct, 
like  a  child  dancing  as  it  goes.  Regiments 
or  great  ferns  grew  along  its  banks,  and  im- 
mense thickets  of  wild  roses  of  all  shades, 
from  deep  Jacqueminot  red  to  pale  blush- 
white.  Here  and  there  rose  a  lonely  spike  of 
yucca,  and  in  the  little  ravines  to  right  and 
left  grew  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  clumps  of 
superb  straw-colored  columbines  four  feet  high. 

Looking  up,  Clover  saw  above  the  tree-tops 
strange  pinnacles  and  spires  and  obelisks 
which  seemed  air-hung,  of  purple-red  and 
orange-tawny  and  pale  pinkish  gray  and  terra 
cotta,  in  which  the  sunshine  and  the  cloud- 
shadows  broke  in  a  multiplicity  of  wonderful 
half-tints.  Above  them  was  the  dazzling  blue 
of  the  Colorado  sky.  She  drew  a  long,  long 
breath. 

"  So  this  is  a  canyon,"  she  said.  "  How 
glad  I  am  that  I  have  lived  to  see  one." 

"  Yes,  this  is  a  canyon,"  Dr.  Hope  replied. 
"  Some  of  us  think  it  the  canyon  ;  but  there 
are  dozens  of  others,  and  no  two  of  them  are 

12 


178  CLOVER. 

alike.  I  'm  glad  you  are  pleased  with  this, 
for  it 's  my  favorite.  I  wish  your  father  could 
see  it." 

Clover  hardly  understood  what  he  said  she 
was  so  fascinated  and  absorbed.  She  looked 
up  at  the  bright  pinnacles,  down  at  the  flow- 
ers and  the  sheen  of  the  river-pools  and  the 
mad  rush  of  its  cascades,  and  felt  as  though  she 
were  in  a  dream.  Through  the  dream  she 
caught  half-comprehended  fragments  of  con- 
versation from  the  seat  behind.  Mrs.  Watson 
was  giving  her  impressions  of  the  scenery. 

"It's  pretty,  I  suppose,"  she  remarked; 
"  but  it 's  so  very  queer,  and  I  'm  not  used  to 
queer  things.  And  this  road  is  frightfully 
narrow.  If  a  load  of  hay  or  a  big  Concord 
coach  should  come  along,  I  can't  think  what 
we  should  do.  I  see  that  Dr.  Hope  drives 
carefully,  but  yet —  You  don't  think  we 
shall  meet  anything  of  the  kind  to-day,  do 
you,  Doctor?" 

"  Not  a  Concord  coach,  and  certainly  not  a 
hay-wagon,  for  they  don't  make  hay  up  here 
in  the  mountains." 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  179 

"  Well,  that  is  a  relief.  I  did  n't  know. 
Ellen  she  always  says,  '  Mother,  you  're  a 
real  fidget ; '  but  when  one  grows  old,  and  has 
valves  in  the  heart  as  I  have,  you  never  — 
We  might  meet  one  of  those  big  pedler's  wag- 
ons, though,  and  they  frighten  horses  worse 
than  anything.  Oh,  what 's  that  coming 
now  ?  Let  us  get  out,  Dr.  Hope  ;  pray, 
let  us  all  get  out." 

"  Sit  still,  ma'am,"  said  the  doctor,  sternly, 
for  Mrs.  Watson  was  wildly  fumbling  at  the 
fastening  of  the  door.  "  Mary,  put  your  arm 
round  Mrs.  Watson,  and  hold  her  tight. 
There  '11  be  a  real  accident,  sure  as  fate,  if 
you  don't."  Then  in  a  gentler  tone,  "  It 's 
only  a  buggy,  ma'am  ;  there 's  plenty  of  room. 
There 's  no  possible  risk  of  a  pedler's  wagon. 
What  on  earth  should  a  pedler  be  doing  up 
here  on  the  side  of  Cheyenne  !  Prairie-dogs 
don't  use  pomatum  or  tin-ware." 

"  Oh,  I  did  n't  know,"  repeated  poor  Mrs. 
Watson,  nervously.  She  watched  the  buggy 
timorously  till  it  was  safely  past;  then  hei 
spirits  revived. 


180  CLOVEE. 

"  Well,"  she  cried,  "  we  're  safe  this  time ; 
but  I  call  it  tempting  Providence  to  drive  so 
fast  on  such  a  rough  road.  If  all  canyons 
are  as  wild  as  this,  I  sha'n't  ever  venture  to 
go  into  another." 

"  Bless  me !  this  is  one  of  our  mildest  spe- 
cimens," said  Dr.  Hope,  who  seemed  to  have 
a  perverse  desire  to  give  Mrs.  Watson  a  dis- 
taste for  canyons.  "  This  is  a  smooth  one ; 
but  some  canyons  are  really  rough.  Do  you 
remember,  Mary,  the  day  we  got  stuck  up  at 
the  top  of  the  Westmoreland,  and  had  to  un- 
hitch the  horses,  and  how  I  stood  in  the  middle 
of  the  creek  and  yanked  the  carriage  round 
while  you  held  them  ?  That  was  the  day  we 
heard  the  mountain  lion,  and  there  were  fresh 
bear-tracks  all  over  the  mud,  you  remember." 

"  Good  gracious! "  cried  Mrs.  Watson,  quite 
pale ;  "  what  an  awful  place!  Bears  and  lions ! 
What  on  earth  did  you  go  there  for  ?  " 

"  Oh,  purely  for  pleasure,"  replied  the  doc- 
tor, lightly.  "  We  don't  mind  such  little  mat- 
ters  out  West.  We  try  to  accustom  ourselves 
to  wild  beasts,  and  make  friends  of  them." 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  181 

"John,  don't  talk  such  nonsense,'*  cried 
his  wife,  quite  angrily.  "  Mrs.  Watson,  you 
must  n't  believe  a  word  the  doctor  says. 
I  've  lived  in  Colorado  nine  years ;  and  I  've 
never  once  seen  a  mountain  lion,  or  a  bear 
either,  except  the  stuffed  ones  in  the  shops. 
Don't  let  the  doctor  frighten  you." 

But  Dr.  Hope's  wicked  work  was  done. 
Mrs.  "Watson,  quite  unconvinced  by  these 
well-meant  assurances,  sat  pale  and  awe- 
struck, repeating  under  her  breath,  — 

"  Dreadful !  What  mU  Ellen  say  ?  Bears 
and  lions  !  Oh,  dear  me  !  " 

"  Look,  look  !  "  cried  Clover,  who  had  not 
listened  to  a  word  of  this  conversation  ;  "  did 
you  ever  see  anything  so  lovely  ?  "  She  re- 
ferred to  what  she  was  looking  at,  —  a  small 
point  of  pale  straw-colored  rock  some  hun- 
dreds of  feet  in  height,  which  a  turn  in  the 
road  had  just  revealed,  soaring  above  the 
tops  of  the  trees. 

"  I  don't  see  that  it  *s  lovely  at  all,"  said 
Mrs.  Watson,  testily.  "  It 's  unnatural,  if 
that 's  what  you  mean.  Rocks  ought  not  tc 


182  CLOVER. 

be  that  color.  They  never  are  at  the  East. 
It  looks  to  me  exactly  like  an  enormous 
unripe  banana  standing  on  end." 

This  simile  nearly  "  finished "  the  party. 
"It's  big  enough  to  disagree  with  all  the 
Sunday-schools  in  creation  at  once,"  re- 
marked the  doctor,  between  his  shouts,  while 
even  Clover  shook  with  laughter.  Mrs.  Wat- 
son felt  that  she  had  made  a  hit,  and  grew 
complacent  again. 

"  See  what  your  brother  picked  for  me," 
cried  Poppy,  riding  alongside,  and  exhibiting 
a  great  sheaf  of  columbine  tied  to  the  pommel 
of  her  saddle.  "And  how  do  you  like  North 
Cheyenne  ?  Is  n't  it  an  exquisite  place  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  lovely  ;  I  feel  as  if  I  must  come 
here  every  day." 

"  Yes,  I  know  ;  but  there  are  so  many 
other  places  out  here  about  which  you  have 
that  feeling." 

"  Now  we  will  show  you  the  other  Chey- 
enne Canyon,  —  the  twin  of  this,"  said  Dr. 
Hope  ;  "  but  you  must  prepare  your  mind 
to  find  it  entirely  different." 


MAKING  ACQUAINTANCE.  183 

After  rather  a  rough  mile  or  two  through 
woods,  they  came  to  a  wooden  shed,  or 
shanty,  at  the  mouth  of  a  gorge,  and  here 
Dr.  Hope  drew  up  his  horses,  and  helped 
them  all  out. 

"  Is  it  much  of  a  walk  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Watson. 

"  It  is  rather  long  and  rather  steep,"  said 
Mrs.  Hope  ;  "  but  it  is  lovely  if  you  only  go 
a  little  way  in,  and  you  and  I  will  sit  down 
the  moment  you  feel  tired,  and  let  the  others 
go  forward." 

South  Cheyenne  Canyon  was  indeed  "en- 
tirely different."  Instead  of  a  green-floored, 
vine-hung  ravine,  it  is  a  wild  mountain  gorge, 
walled  with  precipitous  cliffs  of  great  height; 
and  its  river  —  every  canyon  has  a  river  — 
comes  from  a  source  at  the  top  of  the  gorge 
in  a  series  of  mad  leaps,  forming  seven  water- 
falls, which  plunge  into  circular  basins  of 
rock,  worn  smooth  by  the  action  of  the 
stream.  These  pools  are  curiously  various 
in  shape,  and  the  color  of  the  water,  as  it 
pauses  a  moment  to  rest  in  each  before  tak- 


184  CLOVER. 

ing  its  next  plunge,  is  beautiful.  Little  plank 
walks  are  laid  along  the  river-side,  and  rude 
staircases  for  the  steepest  pitches.  Up  these 
the  party  went,  leaving  Mrs.  Watson  and 
Mrs.  Hope  far  behind, — Poppy  with  her  habit 
over  her  arm,  Clover  stopping  every  other 
moment  to  pick  some  new  flower,  Phil  shying 
stones  into  the  rapids  as  he  passed,  —  till  the 
top  of  the  topmost  cascade  was  reached,  and 
looking  back  they  could  see  the  whole  won- 
derful way  by  which  they  had  climbed,  and 
down  which  the  river  made  its  turbulent 
rush.  Clover  gathered  a  great  mat  of  green 
scarlet-berried  vine  like  glorified  cranberry, 
which  Dr.  Hope  told  her  was  the  famous 
kinnikinnick,  and  was  just  remarking  on  the 
cool  water-sounds  which  filled  the  place,  when 
all  of  a  sudden  these  sounds  seemed  to  grow 
angry,  the  defile  of  precipices  turned  a  frown- 
ing blue,  and  looking  up  they  saw  a  great 
thunder-cloud  gathering  overhead. 

"We  must  run,"  cried  Dr.  Hope,  and  down 
they  flew,  racing  at  full  speed  along  the  long 
flights  of  steps  and  the  plank  walks,  which 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  185 

echoed  to  the  sound  of  their  flying  feet.  Far 
below  they  could  see  two  fast-moving  specks 
which  they  guessed  to  be  Mrs.  Hope  and 
Mrs.  Watson,  hurrying  to  a  place  of  shelter. 
Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  storm,  louder 
the  growl  of  the  thunder,  and  great  hail- 
stones pattered  on  their  heads  before  they 
gained  the  cabin ;  none  too  soon,  for  in  an- 
other moment  the  cloud  broke,  and  the  air 
was  full  of  a  dizzy  whirl  of  sleet  and  rain. 

Others  besides  themselves  had  been  sur- 
prised in  the  ravine,  and  every  few  minutes 
another  and  another  wet  figure  would  come 
flying  down  the  path,  so  that  the  little  refuge 
was  soon  full.  The  storm  lasted  half  an  hour, 
then  it  scattered  as  rapidly  as  it  had  come,  the 
sun  broke  out  brilliantly,  and  the  drive  home 
would  have  been  delightful  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  sad  fact  that  Mrs.  Watson  had  left  her 
parasol  in  the  carriage,  and  it  had  been  wet, 
and  somewhat  stained  by  the  india-rubber 
blanket  which  had  been  thrown  over  it  for 
protection.  Her  lamentations  were  pathetic. 

"  Jane  Phillips  gave  it  to  me,  —  she  was  a 


186  CLOVER. 

Sampson,  you  know,  —  and  I  thought  ever  so 
much  of  it.  It  was  at  Hovey's  —  We  were 
there  together,  and  I  admired  it;  and  she  said, 
'  Mrs.  Watson,  you  must  let  me  — '  Six  dol- 
lars was  the  price  of  it.  That 's  a  good  deal 
for  a  parasol,  you  know,  unless  it 's  really  a 
nice  one;  but  Hovey's  things  are  always —  I 
had  the  handle  shortened  a  little  just  before 
I  came  away,  too,  so  that  it  would  go  into  my 
trunk ;  it  had  to  be  mended  anyhow,  so  that 
it  seemed  a  good  —  Dear,  dear !  and  now 
it 's  spoiled  !  What  a  pity  I  left  it  in  the 
carriage  !  I  shall  know  better  another  time, 
but  this  climate  is  so  different.  It  never  rains 
in  this  way  at  home.  It  takes  a  little  while 
about  it,  and  gives  notice ;  and  we  say  that 
there  's  going  to  be  a  northeaster,  or  that  it 
looks  like  a  thunder-storm,  and  we  put  on  our 
second-best  clothes  or  we  stay  at  home.  It 's 
a  great  deal  nicer,  I  think." 

"  I  am  so  sorry,"  said  kind  little  Mrs. 
Hope.  "  Our  storms  out  here  do  come  up 
very  suddenly.  I  wish  I  had  noticed  that 
you  had  left  your  parasol.  Well,  Clover, 


MAKING   ACQUAINTANCE.  187 

you  've  had  a  chance  now  to  see  the  doctor's 
beautiful  Colorado  hail  and  thunder  to  per- 
fection. How  do  you  like  them  ?  " 

"  I  like  everything  in  Colorado,  I  believe," 
replied  Clover,  laughing.  "  I  won't  even 
except  the  hail." 

"  She  's  the  girl  for  this  part  of  the  world," 
cried  Dr.  Hope,  approvingly.  "  She  'd  make  a 
first-rate  pioneer.  We  '11  keep  her  out  here, 
Mary,  and  never  let  her  go  home.  She  was 
born  to  live  at  the  West." 

"  Was  I  ?  It  seems  queer  then  that  I  should 
have  been  born  to  live  in  Burnet." 

"  Oh,  we  '11  change  all  that." 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  see  how." 

"  There  are  ways  and  means,"  oracularly. 

Mrs.  Watson  was  so  cast  down  by  the  misad- 
venture to  her  parasol  that  she  expressed  no 
regret  at  not  being  asked  to  join  in  the  picnic 
next  day,  especially  as  she  understood  that  it 
consisted  of  young  people.  Mrs.  Hope  very 
rightly  decided  that  a  whole  day  out  of  doors, 
in  a  rough  place,  would  give  pain  rather  than 
pleasure  to  a  person  who  was  both  so  feeble 


188  CLOYER. 

and  so  fussy,  and  did  not  suggest  her  going. 
Clover  and  Phil  waked  up  quite  fresh  and  un- 
tired  after  a  sound  night's  sleep.  There  seemed 
no  limit  to  what  might  be  done  and  enjoyed 
in  that  inexhaustibly  renovating  air. 

Odin's  Garden  proved  to  be  a  wonderful 
assemblage  of  rocky  shapes  rising  from  the 
grass  and  flowers  of  a  lonely  little  plain  on 
the  far  side  of  the  me'sa,  four  or  five  miles 
from  St.  Helen's.  The  name  of  the  place  came 
probably  from  something  suggestive  in  the 
forms  of  the  rocks,  which  reminded  Clover  of 
pictures  she  had  seen  of  Assyrian  and  Egyp- 
tian rock  carvings.  There  were  lion  shapes 
and  bull  shapes  like  the  rudely  chiselled  gods 
of  some  heathen  worship  ;  there  were  slender 
points  and  obelisks  three  hundred  feet  high ; 
and  something  suggesting  a  cat-faced  deity, 
and  queer  similitudes  of  crocodiles  and  apes, 
—  all  in  the  strange  orange  and  red  and  pale 
yellow  formations  of  the  region.  It  was  a 
wonderful  rather  than  a  beautiful  place ;  but 
the  day  was  spent  very  happily  under  those 
mysterious  stones,  which,  as  the  long  after- 


MAKING  ACQUAINTANCE.  189 

noon  shadows  gathered  over  the  plain,  and  the 
sky  glowed  with  sunset  crimson  which  seemed 
like  a  reflection  from  the  rocks  themselves,  be- 
came more  mysterious  still.  Of  the  merry 
young  party  which  made  up  the  picnic,  seven 
out  of  nine  had  come  to  Colorado  for  health  j 
but  no  one  would  have  guessed  it,  they  seemed 
so  well  and  so  full  of  the  enjoyment  of  life. 
Altogether,  it  was  a  day  to  be  marked ;  not  with 
a  white  stone,  —  that  would  not  have  seemed 
appropriate  to  Colorado,  —  but  with  a  red  one. 
Clover,  writing  about  it  afterward  to  Elsie,  felt 
that  her  descriptions  to  sober  stay-at-homes 
might  easily  sound  overdrawn  and  exaggerated, 
and  wound  up  her  letter  thus :  — 

"  Perhaps  you  think  that  I  am  romancing ;  but 
I  am  not  a  bit.  Every  word  I  say  is  perfectly  true, 
only  I  have  not  made  the  colors  half  bright  or  the 
things  half  beautiful  enough.  Colorado  is  the  most 
beautiful  place  in  the  world.  [N.  B.  —  Clover  had 
seen  but  a  limited  portion  of  the  world  so  far.] 
I  only  wish  you  could  all  come  out  to  observe  for 
yourselves  that  I  am  not  fibbing,  though  it  sounds 
like  it!" 


CHAPTER  Vin. 

HIGH   VALLEY. 

LOVER  was  putting  Phil's  chamber 
to  rights,  and  turning  it  into  a  sit- 
ting-room for  the  day,  which  was 
always  her  first  task  in  the  morning.  They 
had  been  at  St.  Helen's  nearly  three  weeks 
now,  and  the  place  had  taken  on  a  very  home- 
like appearance.  All  the  books  and  the  pho- 
tographs were  unpacked,  the  washstand  had 
vanished  behind  a  screen  made  of  a  three- 
leaved  clothes-frame  draped  with  chintz,  wrhile 
a  ruffled  cover  of  the  same  gay  chintz,  on 
which  bunches  of  crimson  and  pink  geraniums 
straggled  over  a  cream-colored  ground,  gave 
to  the  narrow  bed  the  air  of  a  respectable 
wide  sofa. 

"  There !    those  look  very  nice,  I   think," 
she  said,  giving  the  last  touch  to  a  bowl  full 


HIGH   VALLEY.  191 

of  beautiful  garden  roses.  "  How  sweet  they 
are ! " 

"  Your  young  man  seems  rather  clever 
about  roses/'  remarked  Phil,  who,  boy-like, 
dearly  loved  to  tease  his  sister. 

"  My  young  man,  as  you  call  him,  has  a 
father  with  a  gardener,"  replied  Clover, 
calmly ;  "  no  very  brilliant  cleverness  is 
required  for  that." 

In  a  cordial,  kindly  place,  like  St.  Helen's, 
people  soon  make  acquaintances,  and  Clover 
and  Phil  felt  as  if  they  already  knew  half  the 
people  in  the  town.  Every  one  had  come  to 
see  them  and  deluged  them  with  flowers,  and 
invitations  to  dine,  to  drive,  to  take  tea. 
Among  the  rest  came  Mr.  Thurber  Wade, 
whom  Phil  was  pleased  to  call  Clover's  young 
man,  —  the  son  of  a  rich  New  York  banker, 
whose  ill-health  had  brought  him  to  live  in 
St.  Helen's,  and  who  had  built  a  handsome 
house  on  the  principal  street.  This  gilded 
youth  had  several  times  sent  roses  to  Clover, 
—  a  fact  which  Phil  had  noticed,  and  upon 
which  he  was  fond  of  commenting. 


192  CLOVER. 

"Speaking  of  young  men,"  went  on  Clover, 
"  what  do  you  suppose  has  become  of  Clarence 
Page  ?  He  said  he  should  come  in  to  see  us 
soon ;  but  that  was  .ever  so  long  ago." 

"He's  a  fraud,  I  suspect,"  replied  Phil, 
lazily,  from  his  seat  in  the  window.  He  had 
a  geometry  on  his  knees,  and  was  supposed  to 
be  going  on  with  his  education,  but  in  reality 
he  was  looking  at  the  mountains.  "  I  suppose 
people  are  pretty  busy  on  ranches,  though,"  he 
added.  "  Perhaps  they  're  sheep-shearing." 

"Oh,  it  isn't  a  sheep  ranch.  Don't  you 
remember  his  saying  that  the  cattle  got  very 
wild,  and  they  had  to  ride  after  them  ?  They 
would  n't  ride  after  sheep.  I  hope  he  hasn't 
forgotten  about  us.  I  was  so  glad  to  see  him." 

While  this  talk  went  on,  Clarence  was  can- 
tering down  the  lower  end  of  the  Ute  Pass 
on  his  way  to  St.  Helen's.  Three  hours  later 
his  name  was  brought  up  to  them. 

"  How  nice  !  "  cried  Clover.  "  I  think  as 
he 's  a  relative  we  might  let  him  come 
here,  Phil.  It's  so  much  pleasanter  than 
the  parlor." 


HIGH    VALLEY.  193 

Clarence,  who  had  passed  the  interval  of 
waiting  in  noting  the  different  varieties  of 
cough  among  the  sick  people  in  the  parlor, 
was  quite  of  her  opinion. 

"  How  jolly  you  look ! "  was  almost  his 
first  remark.  "  I  'm  glad  you  've  got  a  little 
place  of  your  own,  and  don't  have  to  sit 
with  those  poor  creatures  downstairs  all  the 
time." 

"  It  is  much  nicer.  Some  of  them  are  get- 
ting better,  though." 

"  Some  of  them  are  n't.  There 's  one 
poor  fellow  in  a  reclining-chair  who  looks 
badly." 

"  That 's  the  one  whose  room  Mrs.  Watson 
has  marked  for  her  own.  She  asks  him 
three  times  a  day  how  he  feels,  with  all  the 
solicitude  of  a  mother,"  said  Phil. 

"  Who  's  Mrs.  Watson  ?  " 

"  Well,  she 's  an  old  lady  who  is  somehow 
fastened  to  us,  and  who  considers  herself 
our  chaperone,"  replied  Clover,  with  a  little 
laugh.  "I  must  introduce  you  by-and-by, 
but  first  we  want  a  good  talk  all  by  our- 

13 


194  CLOVER. 

selves.  Now  tell  us  why  you  have  n*t  come 
to  see  us  before.  We  have  been  hoping  for 
you  every  day." 

"  "Well,  I  've  wanted  to  come  badly  enough, 
but  there  has  been  a  combination  of  hin- 
drances. Two  of  our  men  got  sick,  so  there  ' 
was  more  to  do  than  usual ;  then  Geoff  had 
to  be  away  four  days,  and  almost  as  soon  aa 
he  got  back  he  had  bad  news  from  home,  and 
I  hated  to  leave  him  alone." 

"  What  sort  of  bad  news  ?  " 

"  His  sister 's  dead." 

"  Poor  fellow !  In  England  too  !  You  said 
he  was  English,  did  n't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes.  She  was  married.  Her  husband 
was  a  clergyman  down  in  Cornwall  some- 
where. She  was  older  than  Geoff  a  good 
deal ;  but  he  was  very  fond  of  her,  and  the 
news  cut  him  up  dreadfully." 

"  No  wonder.  It  is  horrible  to  hear  such 
a  thing  when  one  is  far  from  home,"  observed 
Clover.  She  tried  to  realize  how  she  should 
feel  if  word  came  to  St.  Helen's  of  Katy's 
death,  or  Elsie's,  or  Johnnie's ;  but  her  mind 


HIGH    VALLEY.  195 

refused  to  accept  the  question.  The  very 
idea  made  her  shiver. 

"  Poor  fellow  !  "  she  said  again ;  "  what 
could  you  do  for  him,  Clarence  ?  " 

"  Not  much.  I  'm  a  poor  hand  at  comfort' 
ing  any  one,  —  men  generally  are,  I  guess. 
Geoff  knows  I  'm  sorry  for  him  ;  but  it  takes 
a  woman  to  say  the  right  thing  at  such  times. 
We  sit  and  smoke  when  the  work 's  done,  and 
I  know  what  he  's  thinking  about ;  but  we 
don't  say  anything  to  each  other.  Now  let 's 
speak  of  something  else.  I  want  to  settle 
about  your  coming  to  High  Valley." 

"  High  Valley  ?  Is  that  the  name  of  your 
place?" 

"  Yes.  I  want  you  to  see  it.  It 's  an 
awfully  pretty  place  to  my  thinking,  —  not 
so  very  much  higher  than  this,  but  you  have 
to  climb  a  good  deal  to  get  there.  Can't  you 
come  ?  This  is  just  the  time,  —  raspberries 
ripe,  and  lots  of  flowers  wherever  the  beasts 
don't  get  at  them.  Phil  can  have  all  the 
riding  he  wants,  and  it'll  do  poor  Geoff  lots 
of  good  to  see  some  one." 


196  CLOVER. 

"  It  would  be  very  nice  indeed,"  doubtfully; 
"  but  who  could  we  get  to  go  with  us  ?  " 

"  I  thought  of  that.  We  don't  take  much 
stock  in  Mrs.  Grundy  out  here  ;  but  I  sup- 
posed you  'd  want  another  lady.  How  would 
it  be  if  I  asked  Mrs.  Hope  ?  The  doctor 's  got 
to  come  out  anyway  to  see  one  of  our  herd- 
ers who 's  put  his  shoulder  out  in  a  fall.  If 
he  would  drive  you  out,  and  Mrs.  Hope  would 
stay  on,  would  you  come  for  a  week  ?  I  guess 
you '11  like  it." 

"  I  '  guess '  we  should,"  exclaimed  Clover, 
her  face  lighting  up.  "  Clarence,  how  delight- 
ful it  sounds !  It  will  be  lovely  to  come  if 
Mrs.  Hope  says  yes." 

"  Then  that 's  all  right,"  replied  Clarence, 
looking  extremely  pleased.  "  I  '11  ride  up  to 
the  doctor's  as  soon  as  dinner 's  over." 

"  You  '11  dine  with  us,  of  course  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  always  come  to  Mother  Marsh  for 
a  bite  whenever  I  stay  over  the  day.  She 
likes  to  have  me.  We  Ve  been  great  chums 
ever  since  I  had  fever  here,  and  she  took  care 
of  me." 


HIGH   VALLEY.  197 

Clover  was  amused  at  dinner  to  watch  the 
cool  deliberation  with  which  Clarence  studied 
Mrs.  Watson  and  her  tortuous  conversation, 
and,  as  he  would  have  expressed  it,  "  took 
stock  of  her."  The  result  was  not  favorable, 
apparently. 

"What  on  earth  did  they  send  that  old 
thing  with  you  for?"  he  asked  as  soon  as 
they  went  upstairs.  "  She 's  as  much  out  of 
her  element  here  as  a  canary-bird  would  be 
in  a  cyclone.  She  can't  be  any  use  to  you, 
Clover." 

"  Well,  no ;  I  don't  think  she  is.  It  was  a 
sort  of  mistake ;  I  '11  tell  you  about  it  some- 
time. But  she  likes  to  imagine  that  she  's 
taking  care  of  me ;  and  as  it  does  no  harm,  I 
let  her." 

"  Taking  care  of  you !  Great  thunder !  I 
would  n't  trust  her  to  take  care  of  a  blue-eyed 
kitten,"  observed  the  irreverent  Clarence. 
"  Well,  I  '11  ride  up  and  settle  with  the  Hopes, 
and  stop  and  let  you  know  as  I  come  back." 

Mrs.  Hope  and  the  doctor  were  not  hard 
to  persuade.  In  Colorado,  people  keep  their 


198  CLOVEE. 

lamps  of  enjoyment  filled  and  trimmed,  so 
to  speak,  and  their  travelling  energies  ready 
girt  about  them,  and  easily  adopt  any  plan 
which  promises  pleasure.  The  following  day 
was  fixed  for  the  start,  and  Clover  packed  her 
valise  and  Phil's  bag,  with  a  sense  of  exhila- 
ration and  escape.  She  was,  in  truth,  getting 
very  tired  of  the  exactions  of  Mrs.  Watson. 
Mrs.  Watson,  on  her  part,  did  not  at  all  ap- 
prove of  the  excursion. 

"  I  think,"  she  said,  swelling  with  offended 
dignity,  "  that  your  cousin  did  n't  know  much 
about  politeness  when  he  left  me  out  of  his 
invitation  and  asked  Mrs.  Hope  instead.  Yes, 
I  know ;  the  doctor  had  to  go  up  anyway.  That 
may  be  true,  and  it  may  not ;  but  it  does  n't 
alter  the  case.  What  am  I  to  do,  I  should 
like  to  know,  if  the  valves  of  my  heart  don't 
open,  or  don't  shut  —  whichever  it  is  —  while 
I  'm  left  all  alone  here  among  strangers  ?  " 

"  Send  for  Dr.  Hope,"  suggested  Phil. 
"  He  '11  only  be  gone  one  night.  Clover 
doesn't  know  anything  about  valves." 

"  My  cousin  lives  in  a  rather  rough  way,  I 


HIGH   VALLEY.  199 

imagine,"  interposed  Clover,  with  a  reproving 
look  at  Phil.  "  He  would  hardly  like  to  ask 
a  stranger  and  an  invalid  to  his  house,  when 
he  might  not  be  able  to  make  her  comfortable. 
Mrs.  Hope  has  been  there  before,  and  she  's 
an  old  friend." 

"  Oh,  I  dare  say  !  There  are  always  rea- 
sons. I  don't  say  that  I  should  have  felt  like 
going,  but  he  ought  to  have  asked  me.  Ellen 
will  be  surprised,  and  so  will  —  He  's  from 
Ashburn  too,  and  he  must  know  the  Parmen- 
ters,  and  Mrs.  Parmenter's  brother's  son  is 
partner  to  Henry's  brother-in-law.  It 's  of 
no  consequence,  of  course, — still,  respect — • 
older  people  —  Boston  —  not  used  to  —  Phil- 
lips —  "  Mrs.  Watson's  voice  died  away  into 
fragmentary  and  inaudible  lamentings. 

Clover  attempted  no  further  excuse.  Her 
good  sense  told  her  that  she  had  a  perfect 
right  to  accept  this  little  pleasure ;  that  Mrs. 
Watson's  plans  for  Western  travel  had  been 
formed  quite  independently  of  their  own,  and 
that  papa  would  not  wish  her  to  sacrifice  her- 
self and  Phil  to  such  unreasonable  humors. 


200  CLOVER. 

Still,  it  was  not  pleasant ;  and  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  from  this  time  dated  a  change  of  feel- 
ing on  Mrs.  Watson's  part  toward  her  "young 
friends."  She  took  up  a  chronic  position  of 
grievance  toward  them,  confided  her  wrongs 
to  all  new-comers,  and  met  Clover  with  an 
offended  air  which,  though  Clover  ignored  it, 
did  not  add  to  the  happiness  of  her  life  at 
Mrs.  Marsh's. 

It  was  early  in  the  afternoon  when  they 
started,  and  the  sun  was  just  dipping  be- 
hind the  mountain  wall  when  they  drove 
into  the  High  Valley.  It  was  one  of  those 
natural  parks,  four  miles  long,  which  lie  like 
heaven-planted  gardens  among  the  Colorado 
ranges.  The  richest  of  grass  clothed  it ;  fine 
trees  grew  in  clumps  and  clusters  here  and 
there ;  and  the  spaces  about  the  house  where 
fences  of  barbed  wire  defended  the  grass 
from  the  cattle,  seemed  a  carpet  of  wild- 
flowers. 

Clover  exclaimed  with  delight  at  the  view. 
The  ranges  which  lapped  and  held  the  high, 
sheltered  upland  in  embrace  opened  toward 


HIGH   VALLEY.  201 

the  south,  and  revealed  a  splendid  lonely 
peak,  on  whose  summit  a  drift  of  freshly-fallen 
snow  was  lying.  The  contrast  with  the 
verdure  and  bloom  below  was  charming. 

The  cabin  —  it  was  little  more  —  stood 
facing  this  view,  and  was  backed  by  a  group 
of  noble  red  cedars.  It  was  built  of  logs, 
long  and  low,  with  a  rude  porch  in  front  sup- 
ported on  unbarked  tree  trunks.  Two  fine 
collies  rushed  to  meet  them,  barking  vocifer- 
ously ;  and  at  the  sound  Clarence  hurried  to 
the  door.  He  met  them  with  great  enthusi- 
asm, lifted  out  Mrs.  Hope,  then  Clover,  and 
then  began  shouting  for  his  chum,  who  waa 
inside. 

"  Hollo,  Geoff  !  where  are  you  ?  Hurry 
up;  they've  come."  Then,  as  he  appeared, 
"  Ladies  and  gentleman,  my  partner !  " 

Geoffrey  Templestowe  was  a  tall,  sinewy 
young  Englishman,  with  ruddy  hair  and 
beard,  grave  blue  eyes,  and  an  unmistakable 
air  of  good  breeding.  He  wore  a  blue  flannel 
shirt  and  high  boots  like  Clarence's,  yet  some- 
how he  made  Clarence  look  a  little  rough 


202  CLOVEE. 

and  undistinguished.  He  was  quiet  in  speech, 
reserved  in  manner,  and  seemed  depressed 
and  under  a  cloud ;  but  Clover  liked  his  face 
at  once.  He  looked  both  strong  and  kind, 
she  thought. 

The  house  consisted  of  one  large  square 
room  in  the  middle,  which  served  as  parlor 
and  dining-room  both,  and  on  either  side  two 
bedrooms.  The  kitchen  was  in  a  separate 
building.  There  was  no  lack  of  comfort, 
though  things  were  rather  rude,  and  the 
place  had  a  bare,  masculine  look.  The  floor 
was  strewn  with  coyote  and  fox  skins.  Two 
or  three  easy-chairs  stood  around  the  fire- 
place, in  which,  July  as  it  was,  a  big  log  was 
blazing.  Their  covers  were  shabby  and  worn ; 
but  they  looked  comfortable,  and  were  evi- 
dently in  constant  use.  There  was  not  the 
least  attempt  at  prettiness  anywhere.  Pipes 
and  books  and  old  newspapers  littered  the 
chairs  and  tables;  when  an  extra  seat  was 
needed  Clarence  simply  tipped  a  great  pile  of 
these  on  to  the  floor.  A  gun-rack  hung  upon 
the  wall,  together  with  sundry  long  stock- 


HIGH   VALLEY.  203 

whips  and  two  or  three  pairs  of  spurs,  and 
a  smell  of  tobacco  pervaded  the  place. 

Clover's  eyes  wandered  to  a  corner  where 
stood  a  small  parlor  organ,  and  over  it  a  shelf 
of  books.  She  rose  to  examine  them.  To  her 
surprise  they  were  all  hymnals  and  Church 
of  England  prayer-books.  There  were  no 
others.  She  wondered  what  it  meant. 

Clarence  had  given  up  his  own  bedroom  to 
Phil,  and  was  to  chum  with  his  friend.  Some 
little  attempt  had  been  made  to  adorn  the 
rooms  which  were  meant  for  the  ladies.  Clean 
towels  had  been  spread  over  the  pine  shelves 
which  did  duty  for  dressing-tables,  and  on 
each  stood  a  tumbler  stuffed  as  full  as  it  could 
hold  with  purple  pentstemons.  Clover  could 
not  help  laughing,  yet  there  was  something 
pathetic  to  her  in  the  clumsy,  man-like  ar- 
rangement. She  relieved  the  tumbler  by  put- 
ting  a  few  of  the  flowers  in  her  dress,  and  went 
out  again  to  the  parlor,  where  Mrs.  Hope  sat 
by  the  fire,  quizzing  the  two  partners,  who 
were  hard  at  work  setting  their  tea-table. 

It  was  rather  a  droll  spectacle,  —  the  two 


204  CLOVER. 

muscular  young  fellows  creaking  to  and  fro 
in  their  heavy  boots,  and  taking  such  a.n  in- 
finitude of  pains  with  their  operations.  One 
would  set  a  plate  on  the  table,  and  the  other 
would  forthwith  alter  its  position  slightly,  or 
lift  and  scrutinize  a  tumbler  and  dust  it  sedu- 
lously with  a  glass-towel.  Each  spoon  was  pol- 
ished with  the  greatest  particularity  before  it 
was  laid  on  the  tray;  each  knife  passed  under 
inspection.  Visitors  were  not  an  every-day 
luxury  in  the  High  Valley,  and  too  much  care 
could  not  be  taken  for  their  entertainment,  it 
seemed. 

Supper  was  brought  in  by  a  Chinese  cook 
in  a  pigtail,  wooden  shoes,  and  a  blue  Mother 
Hubbard,  Choo  Loo  by  name.  He  was  evi- 
dently a  good  cook,  for  the  corn-bread  and 
fresh  mountain  trout  and  the  ham  and  eggs 
were  savory  to  the  last  degree,  and  the 
flapjacks,  with  which  the  meal  concluded,  and 
which  were  eaten  with  a  sauce  of  melted  rasp- 
berry jelly,  deserved  even  higher  encomium. 

"  We  are  willing  to  be  treated  as  company 
this  first  night,"  observed  Mrs.  Hope ;  "  but 


HIGH    VALLEY.  205 

if  you  are  going  to  keep  us  a  week,  you  must 
let  us  make  ourselves  useful,  and  set  the  table 
and  arrange  the  rooms  for  you." 

"  We  will  begin  to-morrow  morning,"  added 
Clover.  "  May  we,  Clarence  ?  May  we  play 
that  it  is  our  house,  and  do  what  we  like,  and 
change  about  and  arrange  things  ?  It  will  be 
such  fun." 

"  Fire  away ! "  said  her  cousin,  calmly. 
"  The  more  you  change  the  more  we  shall 
like  it.  Geoff  and  I  are  n't  set  in  our  ways, 
and  are  glad  enough  to  be  let  off  duty  for  a 
week.  The  hut  is  yours  just  as  long  as  you 
will  stay ;  do  just  what  you  like  with  it. 
Though  we  're  pretty  good  housekeepers  too, 
considering ;  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

uDo  you  believe  he  meant  it  ?"  asked  Clover, 
confidentially  afterward  of  Mrs.  Hope.  "  Do 
you  think  they  really  would  n't  mind  being 
tidied  up  a  little  ?  I  should  so  like  to  give  that 
room  a  good  dusting,  if  it  would  n't  vex  them." 

"  My  dear,  they  will  probably  never  know 
the  difference  except  by  a  vague  sense  of  im- 
proved comfort.  Men  are  dreadfully  untidy, 


206  CLOVER. 

as  a  general  thing,  when  left  to  themselves ; 
but  they  like  very  well  to  have  other  people 
make  things  neat." 

"  Mr.  Templestowe  told  Phil  that  they  go 
off  early  in  the  morning  and  don't  come  back 
till  breakfast  at  half-past  seven ;  so  if  I  wake 
early  enough  I  shall  try  to  do  a  little  setting 
to  rights  before  they  come  in." 

"  And  I  '11  come  and  help  if  I  don't  over- 
sleep," declared  Mrs.  Hope ;  "  but  this  air 
makes  me  feel  dreadfully  as  if  I  should." 

"  I  sha'n't  call  you,"  said  Clover  ;  "  but  it 
will  be  nice  to  have  you,  if  you  come." 

She  stood  at  her  window  after  Mrs.  Hope 
had  gone,  for  a  last  look  at  the  peak  which 
glittered  sharply  in  the  light  of  the  moon. 
The  air  was  like  scented  wine.  She  drew  a 
long  breath. 

"  How  lovely  it  is !  "  she  said  to  herself,  and 
kissed  her  hand  to  the  mountain.  "  Good- 
night, you  beautiful  thing." 

She  woke  with  the  first  beam  of  yellow 
sun,  after  eight  hours  of  dreamless  sleep, 
with  a  keen  sense  of  renovation  and  refresh- 


HIGH   VALLEY.  207 

ment.  A  great  splashing  was  going  on  in 
the  opposite  wing,  and  manly  voices  hushed 
to  suppressed  tones  were  audible.  Then  came 
a  sound  of  boots  on  the  porch ;  and  peeping 
from  behind  her  curtain,  she  saw  Clarence 
and  his  friend  striding  across  the  grass  in  the 
direction  of  the  stock-huts.  She  glanced  at 
her  watch.  It  was  a  quarter  past  five. 

"Now  is  my  chance,"  she  thought;  and 
dressing  rapidly,  she  put  on  a  little  cambric 
jacket,  knotted  her  hair  up,  tied  a  handker- 
chief over  it,  and  hurried  into  the  sitting- 
room.  Her  first  act  was  to  throw  open  all 
the  windows  to  let  out  the  smell  of  stale  to- 
bacco, her  next  to  hunt  for  a  broom.  She 
found  one  at  last,  hanging  on  the  door  of  a 
sort  of  store-closet,  and  moving  the  furniture 
as  noiselessly  as  she  could,  she  gave  the  room 
a  rapid  but  effectual  sweeping. 

While  the  dust  settled,  she  stole  out  to  a 
place  on  the  hillside  where  the  night  before 
she  had  noticed  some  mariposa  lilies  growing, 
and  gathered  a  large  bunch.  Then  she  pro- 
ceeded to  dust  and  straighten,  sorted  out  the 


208  CLOVER. 

newspapers,  wiped  the  woodwork  with  a 
damp  cloth,  arranged  the  disorderly  books, 
and  set  the  breakfast- table.  When  all  this 
was  done,  there  was  still  time  to  finish  her 
toilet  and  put  her  pretty  hair  in  its  accus- 
tomed coils  and  waves ;  so  that  Clarence  and 
Mr.  Templestowe  came  in  to  find  the  fire 
blazing,  the  room  bright  and  neat,  Mrs.  Hope 
sitting  at  the  table  in  a  pretty  violet  gingham 
ready  to  pour  the  coffee  which  Choo  Loo  had 
brought  in,  and  Clover,  the  good  fairy  of  this 
transformation  scene,  in  a  fresh  blue  muslin, 
with  a  ribbon  to  match  in  her  hair,  just  set- 
ting the  mariposas  in  the  middle  of  the  table. 
Their  lilac-streaked  bells  nodded  from  a  tall 
vase  of  ground  glass. 

"  Oh,  I  say,"  cried  Clarence,  "  this  is  some- 
thing like  !  Is  n't  it  scrumptious,  Geoff  ? 
The  hut  never  looked  like  this  before.  It 's 
wonderful  what  a  woman  —  no,  two  women," 
with  a  bow  to  Mrs.  Hope  —  "  can  do  toward 
making  things  pleasant.  Where  did  that  vase 
come  from,  Clover?  We  never  owned  any- 
thing so  fine  as  that,  I'm  sure." 


HIGH   VALLEY.  209 

"  It  came  from  my  bag ;  and  it 's  a  present 
for  you  and  Mr.  Templestowe.  I  saw  it  in  a 
shop-window  yesterday;  and  it  occurred  to  me 
that  it  might  be  just  the  thing  for  High  Valley, 
and  fill  a  gap.  And  Mrs.  Hope  has  brought 
you  each  a  pretty  coffee-cup." 

It  was  a  merry  meal.  The  pleasant  look 
of  the  room,  the  little  surprises,  and  the  re- 
freshment of  seeing  new  and  kindly  faces, 
raised  Mr.  Templestowe's  spirits,  and  warmed 
him  out  of  his  reserve.  He  grew  cheerful 
and  friendly.  Clarence  was  in  uproarious 
spirits,  and  Phil  even  worse.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  air  of  the  High  Valley  had  got  into  his 
head. 

Dr.  Hope  left  at  noon,  after  making  a  sec- 
ond visit  to  the  lame  herder,  and  Mrs.  Hope 
and  Clover  settled  themselves  for  a  week  of 
enjoyment.  They  were  alone  for  hours  every 
day,  while  their  young  hosts  were  off  on  the 
ranch,  and  they  devoted  part  of  this  time 
to  various  useful  and  decorative  arts.  They 
took  all  manner  of  liberties,  poked  about  and 
rummaged,  mended,  sponged,  assorted,  and 

14 


210  CLOVER. 

felt  themselves  completely  mistresses  of  the 
situation.  A  note  to  Marian  Chase  brought 
up  a  big  parcel  by  stage  to  the  Ute  Valley, 
four  miles  away,  from  which  it  was  fetched 
over  by  a  cow-boy  on  horseback ;  and  Clover 
worked  away  busily  at  scrim  curtains  for  the 
windows,  while  Mrs.  Hope  shaped  a  slip  cover 
of  gay  chintz  for  the  .shabbiest  of  the  arm- 
chairs, hemmed  a  great  square  of  gold-colored 
canton  flannel  for  the  bare,  unsightly  table, 
and  made  a  bright  red  pincushion  apiece 
for  the  bachelor  quarters.  The  sitting-room 
took  on  quite  a  new  aspect,  and  every  added 
touch  gave  immense  satisfaction  to  "  the  boys," 
as  Mrs.  Hope  called  them,  who  thoroughly 
enjoyed  the  effect  of  these  ministrations, 
though  they  had  not  the  least  idea  how  to 
produce  it  themselves. 

Creature  comforts  were  not  forgotten.  The 
two  ladies  amused  themselves  with  experi- 
ments in  cookery.  The  herders  brought  a 
basket  of  wild  raspberries,  and  Clover  turned 
them  into  jam  for  winter  use.  Clarence 
gloated  over  the  little  white  pots,  and  was 


HIGH   VALLEY.  211 

never  tired  of  counting  them.  They  looked 
so  like  New  England,  he  declared,  that  he  felt 
as  if  he  must  get  a  girl  at  once,  and  go  and 
walk  in  the  graveyard,  —  a  pastime  which  he 
remembered  as  universal  in  his  native  town. 
Various  cakes  and  puddings  appeared  to  attest 
the  industry  of  the  housekeepers ;  and  on  the 
only  wet  evening,  when  a  wild  thunder-gust 
was  sweeping  down  the  valley,  they  had  a 
wonderful  candy-pull,  and  made  enough  to 
give  all  the  cow-boys  a  treat. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  all  their  time 
went  in  these  domestic  pursuits.  No,  indeed. 
Mrs.  Hope  had  brought  her  own  side-saddle, 
and  had  borrowed  one  for  Clover;  the  place 
was  full  of  horses,  and  not  a  day  passed  with- 
out a  long  ride  up  or  down  the  valley,  and 
into  the  charming  little  side  canyons  which 
opened  from  it.  A  spirited  broncho,  named 
Sorrel,  had  been  made  over  to  Phil's  use  for 
the  time  of  his  stay,  and  he  was  never  out  of 
the  saddle  when  he  could  help  it,  except  to 
eat  and  sleep.  He  shared  in  the  herders'  wild 
gallops  after  stock,  and  though  Clover  felt 


212  CLOVER. 

nervous  about  the  risks  he  ran,  whenever  she 
took  time  to  think  them  over,  he  was  so  very 
happy  that  she  had  not  the  heart  to  interfere 
or  check  his  pleasure. 

She  and  Mrs.  Hope  rode  out  with  the  gen- 
tlemen on  the  great  day  of  the  round-up,  and, 
stationed  at  a  safe  point  a  little  way  up  the 
hillside,  watched  the  spectacle,  —  the  plung- 
ing, excited  herd,  the  cow-boys  madly  gallop- 
ing, swinging  their  long  whips  and  lassos, 
darting  to  and  fro  to  head  off  refractory 
beasts  or  check  the  tendency  to  stampede. 
Both  Clarence  and  Geoffrey  Templestowe  were 
bold  and  expert  riders ;  but  the  Mexican  and 
Texan  herders  in  their  employ  far  surpassed 
them.  The  ladies  had  never  seen  any  thing- 
like  it.  Phil  and  his  broncho  were  in  the 
midst  of  things,  of  course,  and  had  one  or  two 
tumbles,  but  nothing  to  hurt  them ;  only  Clo- 
ver was  very  thankful  when  it  was  all  safely 
over. 

In  their  rides  and  scrambling  walks  it  gen- 
erally happened  that  Clarence  took  possession 
of  Clover,  and  left  Geoff  in  charge  of  Mrs. 


HIGH   VALLEY.  213 

Hope.  Cousinship  and  old  friendship  gave  him 
a  right,  he  considered,  and  he  certainly  took 
full  advantage  of  it.  Clover  liked  Clarence  ; 
but  there  were  moments  when  she  felt  that  she 
would  rather  enjoy  the  chance  to  talk  more 
with  Mr.  Templestowe,  and  there  was  a  look 
in  his  eyes  now  and  then  which  seemed  to  say 
that  he  might  enjoy  it  too.  But  Clarence  did 
not  observe  this  look,  and  he  had  no  idea  of 
sharing  his  favorite  cousin  with  any  one,  if  he 
could  help  it. 

Sunday  brought  the  explanation  of  the  shelf 
full  of  prayer-books  which  had  puzzled  them 
on  their  first  arrival.  There  was  no  church 
within  reach  ;  and  it  was  Geoff's  regular  cus- 
tom, it  seemed,  to  hold  a  little  service  for  the 
men  in  the  valley.  Almost  all  of  them  came, 
except  the  few  Mexicans,  who  were  Roman 
Catholics,  and  the  room  was  quite  full.  Geoff 
read  the  service  well  and  reverently,  gave  out 
the  hymns,  and  played  the  accompaniments 
for  them,  closing  with  a  brief  bit  of  a  ser- 
mon by  the  elder  Arnold.  It  was  all  done 
simply  and  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  Clar- 


214  CLOVER. 

ence  seemed  to  join  in  it  with  much  good- 
will ;  but  Clover  privately  wondered  whether 
the  idea  of  doing  such  a  thing  would  have 
entered  into  his  head  had  he  been  left  alone, 
or,  if  so,  whether  he  would  have  cared 
enough  about  it  to  carry  it  out  regularly. 
She  doubted.  Whatever  the  shortcomings  of 
the  Church  of  England  may  be,  she  certainly 
trains  her  children  into  a  devout  observance 
of  Sunday. 

The  next  day,  Monday,  was  to  be  their 
last,  —  a  fact  lamented  by  every  one,  particu- 
larly Phil,  who  regarded  the  High  Valley  as 
a  paradise,  and  would  gladly  have  remained 
there  for  the  rest  of  his  natural  life.  Clover 
hated  to  take  him  away ;  but  Dr.  Hope  had 
warned  her  privately  that  a  week  would  be 
enough  of  it,  and  that  with  Phil's  tendency  to 
overdo,  too  long  a  stay  would  be  undesirable. 
So  she  stood  firm,  though  Clarence  urged  a 
delay,  and  Phil  seconded  the  proposal  with 
all  his  might. 

The  very  pleasantest  moment  of  the  visit 
perhaps  came  on  that  last  afternoon,  when 


HIGH   VALLEY.  215 

Geoff  got  her  to  himself  for  once,  and  took 
her  up  a  trail  where  she  had  not  yet  been,  in 
search  of  scarlet  pentstemons  to  carry  back  to 
St.  Helen's.  They  found  great  sheaves  of  the 
slender  stems  threaded,  as  it  were,  with  jewel- 
like  blossoms ;  but  what  was  better  still,  they 
had  a  talk,  and  Clover  felt  that  she  had  now 
a  new  friend.  Geoff  told  her  of  his  people  at 
home,  and  a  little  about  the  sister  who  had 
lately  died  ;  only  a  little,  —  he  could  not  yet 
trust  himself  to  talk  long  about  her.  Clover 
listened  with  frank  and  gentle  interest.  She 
liked  to  hear  about  the  old  grange  at  the 
head  of  a  chine  above  Clovelley,  where  Geoff 
was  born,  and  which  had  once  been  full  of 
boys  and  girls,  now  scattered  in  the  English 
fashion  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  There  was 
Ralph  with  his  regiment  in  India,  —  he  was 
the  heir,  it  seemed,  —  and  Jim  and  Jack  in 
Australia,  and  Oliver  with  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren in  New  Zealand,  and  Allen  at  Harrow, 
and  another  boy  fitting  for  the  civil  service. 
There  was  a  married  sister  in  Scotland,  and 
another  in  London  ;  and  Isabel,  the  youngest 


216  CLOVER. 

of  all,  still  at  home,  —  the  light  of  the  house, 
and  the  special  pet  of  the  old  squire  and  of 
Geoff's  mother,  who,  he  told  Clover,  had  been 
a  great  beauty  in  her  youth,  and  though  nearly 
seventy,  was  in  his  eyes  beautiful  still. 

"  It 's  pretty  quiet  there  for  Isabel,"  he 
said ;  "  but  she  has  my  sister  Helen's  two 
children  to  care  for,  and  that  will  keep  her 
busy.  I  used  to  think  she  'd  come  out  to  me 
one  of  these  years  for  a  twelvemonth;  but 
there  's  little  chance  of  her  being  spared 
now." 

Clover's  sympathy  did  not  take  the  form  of 
words.  It  looked  out  of  her  eyes,  and  spoke 
in  the  hushed  tones  of  her  soft  voice.  Geoff 
felt  that  it  was  there,  and  it  comforted  him. 
The  poor  fellow  was  very  lonely  in  those  days, 
and  inclined  to  be  homesick,  as  even  a  manly 
man  sometimes  is. 

"  What  an  awful  time  Adam  must  have  had 
of  it  before  Eve  came ! "  growled  Clarence,  that 
evening,  as  they  sat  around  the  fire. 

"  He  had  a  pretty  bad  time  after  she  came, 
if  I  remember,"  said  Clover,  laughing. 


HIGH    VALLEY.  217 

"  Ah,  but  he  had  her !  " 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense  !  He  was  a  long  shot 
happier  without  her  and  her  old  apple,  I 
think,"  put  in  Phil.  "You  fellows  don't 
know  when  you  're  well  off." 

Everybody  laughed. 

"Phil's  notion  of  Paradise  is  the  High  Val- 
ley and  Sorrel,  and  no  girls  about  to  bother 
and  tell  him  not  to  get  too  tired,"  remarked 
Clover.  "  It 's  a  fair  vision  j  but  like  all  fair 
visions  it  must  end." 

And  end  it  did  next  day,  when  Dr. 
Hope  appeared  with  the  carriage,  and  the 
bags  and  saddles  were  put  in,  and  the  great 
bundle  of  wild-flowers,  with  their  stems 
tied  in  wet  moss ;  and  Phil,  torn  from 
his  beloved  broncho,  on  whose  back  he 
had  passed  so  many  happy  hours,  was 
forced  to  accompany  the  others  back  to 
civilization. 

"  I  shall  see  you  very  soon,"  said  Clarence, 
tucking  the  lap-robe  round  Clover.  "  There 's 
the  mail  to  fetch,  and  other  things.  I  shall  be 
riding  in  every  day  or  two," 


218  CLOVER. 

"I  shall  see  you  very  soon,"  said  Geoff, 
on  the  other  side.  "  Clarence  is  not  coming 
without  me,  I  can  assure  you." 

Then  the  carriage  drove  away ;  and  the 
two  partners  went  back  into  the  house,  which 
looked  suddenly  empty  and  deserted. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what !  "  began  Clarence. 

"  And  I  '11  tell  you  what !  "  rejoined  Geoff. 

"  A  house  is  n't  worth  a  red  cent  which 
has  n't  a  woman  in  it." 

"  You  might  ride  down  and  ask  Miss  Per- 
kins to  step  up  and  adorn  our  lives,"  said  his 
friend,  grimly.  Miss  Perkins  was  a  particu- 
larly rigid  spinster  who  taught  a  school  six 
miles  distant,  and  for  whom  Clarence  enter- 
tained a  particular  distaste. 

"  You  be  hanged  !  I  don't  mean  that  kind. 
I  mean  —  " 

"  The  nice  kind,  like  Mrs.  Hope  and  your 
cousin.  Well,  I  'm  agreed." 

"  I  shall  go  down  after  the  mail  to-morrow," 
remarked  Clarence,  between  the  puffs  of  his 
pipe. 

"  So  shall  I." 


HIGH   VALLEY.  219 

"All  right;  come  along!"  But  though 
the  words  sounded  hearty,  the  tone  rather 
belied  them.  Clarence  was  a  little  puzzled 
by  and  did  not  quite  like  this  newborn 
enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  his  comrade. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OVER  A   PASS. 


JRUE  to  their  resolve,  the  young 
heads  of  the  High  Valley  Ranch 
rode  together  to  St.  Helen's  next 
day,  —  ostensibly  to  get  their  letters  ;  in 
reality  to  call  on  their  late  departed  guests. 
They  talked  amicably  as  they  went ;  but 
unconsciously  each  was  watching  the  other's 
mood  and  speech.  To  like  the  same  girl 
makes  young  men  curiously  observant  of 
each  other. 

A  disappointment  was  in  store  for  them. 
They  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  Clover 
would  be  as  disengaged  and  as  much  at  their 
service  as  she  had  been  in  the  valley;  and 
lo !  she  sat  on  the  piazza  with  a  knot  of  girls 
about  her,  and  a  young  man  in  an  extremely 
"fetching"  costume  of  snow-white  duck,  with 


OVER  A   PASS.  221 

a  flower  in  his  button-hole,  was  bending  over 
her  chair,  arid  talking  in  a  low  voice  of  some- 
thing which  seemed  of  interest.  He  looked 
provokingly  cool  and  comfortable  to  the  dusty 
horsemen,  and  very  much  at  home.  Phil, 
who  lounged  against  the  piazza-rail  opposite, 
dispensed  an  enormous  and  meaning  wink  at 
his  two  friends  as  they  came  up  the  steps. 

Clover  jumped  up  from  her  chair,  and  gave 
them  a  most  cordial  reception. 

"  How  delightful  to  see  you  again  so  soon ! " 
she  said.  Then  she  introduced  them  to  a  girl 
in  pink  and  a  girl  in  blue  as  Miss  Perham 
and  Miss  Blanchard,  and  they  shook  hands 
with  Marian  Chase,  whom  they  already  knew, 
and  lastly  were  presented  to  Mr.  Wade,  the 
youth  in  white.  The  three  young  men  eyed 
one  another  with  a  not  very  friendly  scru- 
tiny, just  veiled  by  the  necessary  outward 
politeness. 

"  Then  you  will  be  all  ready  for  Thursday, 
—  and  your  brother  too,  of  course,  —  and  my 
mother  will  stop  for  you  at  half-past  ten  on 
her  way  down,"  they  heard  him  say.  "  Miss 


222  CLOVER. 

Chase  will  go  with  the  Hopes.  Oh,  yes;  there 
will  be  plenty  of  room.  No  danger  about  that. 
We  're  almost  sure  to  have  good  weather  too. 
Good-morning.  I  'm  so  glad  you  enjoyed  the 
roses." 

There  was  a  splendid  cluster  of  Jacquemi- 
not buds  in  Clover's  dress,  at  which  Clarence 
glared  wrathfully  as  he  caught  these  words. 
The  only  consolation  was  that  the  creature 
in  duck  was  going.  He  was  making  his  last 
bows ;  and  one  of  the  girls  went  with  him, 
which  still  farther  reduced  the  number  of 
what  in  his  heart  Clarence  stigmatized  as 
"a  crowd." 

"I  must  go  too,"  said  the  girl  in  blue. 
"  Good-by,  Clover.  I  shall  run  in  a  minute 
to-morrow  to  talk  over  the  last  arrangements 
for  Thursday." 

"  What 's  going  to  happen  on  Thursday  ?  " 
growled  Clarence  as  soon  as  she  had  departed. 

"  Oh,  such  a  delightful  thing,"  cried  Clover, 
sparkling  and  dimpling.  "  Old  Mr.  Wade,  the 
father  of  young  Mr.  Wade,  whom  you  saw  just 
now,  is  a  director  on  the  railroad,  yon  know ; 


OVER  A   PASS.  223 

and  they  have  given  him  the  director's  car  to 
take  a  party  over  the  Marshall  Pass,  and  he 
has  asked  Phil  and  me  to  go.  It  is  such  a 
surprise.  Ever  since  we  came  to  St.  Helen's, 
people  have  been  telling  us  what  a  beautiful 
journey  it  is ;  but  I  never  supposed  we  should 
have  the  chance  to  take  it.  Mrs.  Hope  is 
going  too,  and  the  doctor,  and  Miss  Chase  and 
Miss  Perham,  —  all  the  people  we  know  best, 
in  fact.  Is  n't  it  nice  ?" 

"  Oh,  certainly ;  very  nice,"  replied  Clar- 
ence, in  a  tone  of  deep  offence.  He  was  most 
unreasonably  in  the  sulks.  Clover  glanced  at 
him  with  surprise,  and  then  at  Geoff,  who  was 
talking  to  Marian.  He  looked  a  little  serious, 
and  not  so  bright  as  in  the  valley;  but  he 
was  making  himself  very  pleasant,  notwith- 
standing. Surely  he  had  the  same  causes  for 
annoyance  as  Clarence ;  but  his  breeding  for- 
bade him  to  show  whatever  inward  vexation 
he  may  have  felt,  —  certainly  not  to  allow  it 
to  influence  his  manners.  Clover  drew  a  men- 
tal contrast  between  the  two  which  was  not  to 
Clarence's  advantage. 


224  CLOVER. 

"  Who 's  that  fellow  anyway  ?  "  demanded 
Clarence.  "  How  long  have  you  known  him  ? 
What  business  has  he  to  be  bringing  you  roses, 
and  making  up  parties  to  take  you  off  on 
private  cars?" 

Something  in  Clover's  usually  soft  eyes 
made  him  stop  suddenly. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said  in  an  altered 
tone. 

"  I  really  think  you  should,"  replied  Clover, 
with  pretty  dignity. 

Then  she  moved  away,  and  began  to  talk  to 
Geoff,  whose  grave  courtesy  at  once  warmed 
into  cheer  and  sun. 

Clarence,  thus  left  a  prey  to  remorse,  was 
wretched.  He  tried  to  catch  Clover's  eye, 
but  she  wouldn't  look  at  him.  He  leaned 
against  the  balustrade  moody  and  miserable. 
Phil,  who  had  watched  these  various  inter- 
ludes with  interest,  indicated  his  condition 
to  Clover  with  another  telegraphic  wink. 
She  glanced  across,  relented,  and  made 
Clarence  a  little  signal  to  come  and  sit  by 
her. 


OVER  A   PASS.  225 

After  that  all  went  happily.  Clover  was 
honestly  delighted  to  see  her  two  friends 
again.  And  now  that  Clarence  had  recov- 
ered from  his  ill-temper,  there  was  nothing  to 
mar  their  enjoyment.  Geoff's  horse  had  cast 
a  shoe  on  the  way  down,  it  seemed,  and  must 
be  taken  to  the  blacksmith's,  so  they  did  not 
stay  very  long ;  but  it  was  arranged  that  they 
should  come  back  to  dinner  at  Mrs.  Marsh's. 

"  What  a  raving  belle  you  are ! "  remarked 
Marian  Chase,  as  the  young  men  rode  away. 
"  Three  is  a  good  many  at  a  time,  though, 
isn't  it?" 

"  Three  what  ?  " 

"  Three  —  hem !  leaves  —  to  one  Clover ! " 

"It's  the  usual  allowance,  I  believe.  If 
there  were  four,  now  —  " 

"  Oh,  I  dare  say  there  will  be.  They  seem 
to  collect  round  you  like  wasps  round  honey. 
It 's  some  natural  law,  I  presume,  —  gravita- 
tion or  levitation,  which  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know,  and  don't  try  to 
tease  me,  Poppy.  People  out  here  are  so 
kind  that  it's  enough  to  spoil  anybody." 

15 


226  CLOVER. 

"  Kind,  forsooth !  Do  you  consider  it  all 
pure  kindness?  Really,  for  such  a  belle, 
you  're  very  innocent." 

"I  wish  you  wouldn't,"  protested  Clover, 
laughing  and  coloring.  "  I  never  was  a  belle 
in  my  life,  and  that 's  the  second  time  you  've 
called  me  that.  Nobody  ever  said  such  things 
to  me  in  Burnet." 

"  Ah,  you  had  to  come  to  Colorado  to  find 
out  how  attractive  you  could  be.  Burnet 
must  be  a  very  quiet  place.  Never  mind ; 
you  sha'n't  be  teased,  Clover  dear.  Only 
don't  let  this  trefoil  of  yours  get  to  fight- 
ing with  one  another.  That  good-looking 
cousin  of  yours  was  casting  quite  murderous 
glances  at  poor  Thurber  Wade  just  now." 

"  Clarence  is  a  dear  boy ;  but  he 's  rather 
spoiled  and  not  quite  grown  up  yet,  I  think." 

"  When  are  you  coming  back  from  the 
Marshall  Pass  ?  "  inquired  Geoff,  after  dinner, 
when  Clarence  had  gone  for  the  horses. 

"  On  Saturday.  We  shall  only  be  gone  two 
days." 

"  Then  I  will  ride  in  on  Thursday  morning, 


OVER   A   PASS.  229 

to  command  daylight  for  all  the  finest  points 
of  the  excursion. 

First  of  these  was  the  Royal  Gorge,  where 
the  Arkansas  River  pours  through  a  magnifi- 
cent canyon,  between  precipices  so  steep  and 
with  curves  so  sharp  that  only  engineering 
genius  of  the  most  daring  order  could,  -it 
would  seem,  have  devised  a  way  through. 
Then,  after  a  pause  at  the  pretty  town  of 
Salida,  with  the  magnificent  range  of  the 
Sangre  de  Cristo  Mountains  in  full  sight, 
they  began  to  mount  the  pass  over  long 
loops  of  rail,  which  doubled  and  re-doubled 
on  themselves  again  and  again  on  their  way 
to  the  summit.  The  train  had  been  divided ; 
and  the  first  half  with  its  two  engines  was 
seen  at  times  puffing  and  snorting  directly 
overhead  of  the  second  half  on  the  lower 
curve. 

With  each  hundred  feet  of  elevation,  the 
view  changed  and  widened.  Now  it  was  of 
over-lapping  hills  set  with  little  mesas,  like 
folds  of  green  velvet  flung  over  the  rocks; 
now  of  dim-seen  valley  depths  with  winding 


230  CLOVER. 

links  of  silver  rivers ;  and  again  of  countless 
mountain  peaks  sharp-cut  against  the  sunset 
sky,  —  some  rosy  pink,  some  shining  with 
snow. 

The  flowers  were  a  continual  marvel.  At 
the  top  of  the  pass,  eleven  thousand  feet  and 
more  above  the  sea,  their  colors  and  their 
abundance  were  more  profuse  and  splendid 
than  on  the  lower  levels.  There  were  whole 
fields  of  pentstemons,  pink,  blue,  royal  pur- 
ple, or  the  rare  scarlet  variety,  like  stems  of 
asparagus  strung  with  rubies.  There  were 
masses  of  gillias,  and  of  wonderful  coreop- 
sis, enormous  cream-colored  stars  with  deep- 
orange  centres,  and  deep-yellow  ones  with 
scarlet  centres  ;  thickets  of  snowy-cupped 
mentzelia  and  of  wild  rose ;  while  here  and 
there  a  tall  red  lily  burned  like  a  little  lonely 
flame  in  the  green,  or  regiments  of  convolvuli 
waved  their  stately  heads. 

From  below  came  now  and  again  the  tin- 
kle of  distant  cow-bells.  These,  and  the  plain- 
tive coo  of  mourning-doves  in  the  branches, 
and  the  rush  of  the  wind,  which  was  like  cool 


OVER  A   PASS.  231 

flower-scented  wine,  was  all  that  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  high  places. 

"  To  think  I'm  so  much  nearer  heaven 
Than  when  I  was  a  boy," 

misquoted  Clover,  as  she  sat  on  the  rear  plat- 
form of  the  car,  with  Poppy,  and  Thurber 
Wade. 

"  Are  you  sure  your  head  does  n't  ache  ? 
This  elevation  plays  the  mischief  with  some 
people.  My  mother  has  taken  to  her  berth 
with  ice  on  her  temples." 

"  Headache !  No,  indeed.  This  air  is  too 
delicious.  I  feel  as  though  I  could  dance  all 
the  way  from  here  to  the  Black  Canyon." 

"You  don't  look  as  if  your  head  ached, 
or  anything,"  said  Mr.  Wade,  staring  at 
Clover  admiringly.  Her  cheeks  were  pink 
with  excitement,  her  eyes  full  of  light  and 
exhilaration. 

"  Oh  dear!  we  are  beginning  to  go  down," 
she  cried,  watching  one  of  the  beautiful  peaks 
of  the  Sangre  de  Cristos  as  it  dipped  out  of 
sight.  "  I  think  I  could  find  it  in  my  heart 


232  CLOVER. 

to  cry,  if  it  were  not  that  to-morrow  we  are 
coming  up  again." 

So  down,  down,  down  they  went.  Dusk 
slowly  gathered  about  them;  and  the  white- 
gloved  butler  set  the  little  tables,  and  brought 
in  broiled  chicken  and  grilled  salmon  and 
salad  and  hot  rolls  and  peaches,  and  they 
were  all  very  hungry.  And  Clover  did  not 
cry,  but  fell  to  work  on  her  supper  with  an 
excellent  appetite,  quite  unconscious  that  they 
were  speeding  through  another  wonderful 
gorge  without  seeing  one  of  its  beauties. 
Then  the  car  was  detached  from  the  train ; 
and  when  she  awoke  next  morning  they  were 
at  the  little  station  called  Cimmaro,  at  the 
head  of  the  famous  Black  Canyon,  with  three 
hours  to  spare  before  the  train  from  Utah 
should  arrive  to  take  them  back  to  St. 
Helen's. 

Early  as  it  was,  the  small  settlement  was 
awake.  Lights  glanced  from  the  eating-house, 
where  cooks  were  preparing  breakfast  for  the 
"  through"  passengers,  and  smokes  curled  from 
the  chimneys.  Close  to  the  car  was  a  large 


OVER  A   PASS.  233 

brick  structure  which  seemed  to  be  a  sort 
of  hotel  for  locomotives.  A  number  of  the 
enormous  creatures  had  evidently  passed  the 
night  there,  and  just  waked  up.  Clover  now 
watched  their  antics  with  great  amusement 
from  her  window  as  their  engineers  ran  them 
in  and  out,  rubbed  them  down  like  horses, 
and  fed  them  with  oil  and  coal,  while  they 
snorted  and  backed  and  sidled  a  good  deal  as 
real  horses  do.  Clover  could  not  at  all  un- 
derstand what  all  these  manoeuvres  were  for, 
—  they  seemed  only  designed  to  show  the 
paces  of  the  iron  steeds,  and  what  they  were 
good  for. 

"  Miss  Clover,"  whispered  a  voice  outside 
her  curtains,  "  I  've  got  hold  of  a  hand-car 
and  a  couple  of  men ;  and  don't  you  want  to 
take  a  spin  down  the  canyon  and  see  the  view 
with  no  smoke  to  spoil  it  ?  Just  you  and 
me  and  Miss  Chase.  She  says  she'll  go  if 
you  will.  Hurry,  and  don't  make  a  noise. 
We  won't  wake  the  others." 

Of  course  Clover  wanted  to.  She  finished 
her  dressing  at  top-speed,  hurried  on  her  hat 


234  CLOVER. 

and  jacket,  stole  softly  out  to  where  the  oth- 
ers awaited  her,  and  in  five  minutes  they 
were  smoothly  running  down  the  gorge,  over 
high  trestle-work  bridges  and  round  sharp 
curves  which  made  her  draw  her  breath  a  lit- 
tle faster.  There  was  no  danger,  the  men 
who  managed  the  hand-car  assured  them  ;  it 
was  a  couple  of  hours  yet  before  the  next 
train  came  in ;  there  was  plenty  of  time  to  go 
three  or  four  miles  down  and  return. 

Anything  more  delicious  than  the  early 
morning  air  in  the  Black  Canyon  it  would  be 
difficult  to  imagine.  Cool,  odorous  with  pines 
and  with  the  breath  of  the  mountains,  it  was 
like  a  zestful  draught  of  iced  summer.  Close 
beside  the  track  ran  a  wondrous  river  which 
seemed  made  of  melted  jewels,  so  curiously 
brilliant  were  its  waters  and  mixed  of  so  many 
hues.  Its  course  among  the  rocks  was  a  flash 
of  foaming  rapids,  broken  here  and  there  by 
pools  of  exquisite  blue-green,  deepening  into 
inky-violet  under  the  shadow  of  the  cliffs. 
And  such  cliffs!  —  one,  two,  three  thousand 
feet  high ;  not  deep-colored  like  those  about 


OVER  A  PASS.  235 

St.  Helen's,  but  of  steadfast  mountain  hues 
and  of  magnificent  forms,  —  buttresses  and 
spires;  crags  whose  bases  were  lost  in  un- 
trodden forests;  needle-sharp  pinnacles  like 
the  Swiss  Aiguilles.  The  morning  was  just 
making  its  way  into  the  canyon  ;  and  the 
loftier  tops  flashed  with  yellow  sun,  while 
the  rest  were  still  in  cold  shadow. 

Breakfast  was  just  ready  when  the  hand- 
car arrived  again  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
gorge,  and  loud  were  the  reproaches  which 
met  the  happy  three  as  they  alighted  from  it. 
Phil  was  particularly  afflicted. 

"  I  call  it  mean  not  to  wake  a  fellow,"  he  said. 

"But  a  fellow  was  so  sound  asleep,"  said 
Clover,  "  I  really  had  n't  the  heart.  I  did  peep 
in  at  your  curtain,  and  if  you  had  moved 
so  much  as  a  finger,  perhaps  I  should  have 
called  you;  but  you  didn't." 

The  return  journey  was  equally  fortunate, 
and  the  party  reached  St.  Helen's  late  in  the 
evening  of  the  second  day,  in  what  Mr.  Wade 
called  "  excellent  form."  Monday  brought 
the  young  men  from  the  ranch  in  again; 


236  CLOVER. 

and  another  fortnight  passed  happily,  Clover's 
three  "  leaves  "  being  most  faithfully  attentive 
to  their  central  point  of  attraction.  "  Three 
is  a  good  many,"  as  Marian  Chase  had  said, 
but  all  girls  like  to  be  liked,  and  Clover  did 
not  find  this,  her  first  little  experience  of  the 
kind,  at  all  disagreeable. 

The  excursion  to  the  Marshall  Pass,  how- 
ever, had  an  after  effect  which  was  not  so 
pleasant.  Either  the  high  elevation  had  dis- 
agreed with  Phil,  or  he  had  taken  a  little  cold ; 
at  all  events,  he  was  distinctly  less  well. 
With  the  lowering  of  his  physical  forces  came 
a  corresponding  depression  of  spirits.  Mrs. 
Watson  worried  him,  the  sick  people  troubled 
him,  the  sound  of  coughing  depressed  him,  his 
appetite  flagged,  and  his  sleep  was  broken. 
Clover  felt  that  he  must  have  a  change,  and 
consulted  Dr.  Hope,  who  advised  their  going 
to  the  Ute  Valley  for  a  month. 

This  involved  giving  up  their  rooms  at 
Mrs.  Marsh's,  which  was  a  pity,  as  it  was  by 
no  means  certain  that  they  would  be  able  to 
get  them  again  later.  Clover  regretted  this ; 


OVER   A   PASS.  237 

but  Fate,  as  Fate  often  does,  brought  a  com- 
pensation. Mrs.  Watson  had  no  mind  what- 
ever for  the  Ute  Valley. 

"  It 's  a  dull  place,  they  tell  me,  and  there 's 
nothing  to  do  there  but  ride  on  horseback, 
and  as  I  don't  ride  on  horseback,  I  really 
don't  see  what  use  there  would  be  in  my 
going,"  she  said  to  Clover.  "  If  I  were 
young,  and  there  were  young  men  ready  to 
ride  with  me  all  the  time,  it  would  be  differ- 
ent ;  though  Ellen  never  did  care  to,  except 
with  Henry  of  course,  after  they —  And  I 
really  can't  see  that  your  brother  's  much  dif- 
ferent from  what  he  was,  though  if  Dr.  Hope 
says  so,  naturally  you  —  He 's  a  queer  kind 
of  doctor,  it  seems  to  me,  to  send  lung  patients 
up  higher  than  this,  —  which  is  high  already, 
gracious  knows.  No ;  if  you  decide  to  go,  I 
shall  just  move  over  to  the  Shoshone  for  the 
rest  of  the  time  that  I'm  here.  I'm  sure 
that  Dr.  Carr  could  n't  expect  me  to  stay  on 
here  alone,  just  for  the  chance  that  you  may 
want  to  come  back,  when  as  like  as  not,  Mrs. 
Marsh  won't  be  able  to  take  you  again." 


238  CLOVER. 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  'm  quite  sure  he  would  n't. 
Only  I  thought,"  doubtfully,  "  that  as  you  've 
always  admired  Phil's  room  so  much,  you  might 
like  to  secure  it  now  that  we  have  to  go." 

"Well,  yes.  If  you  were  to  be  here,  I 
might.  If  that  man  who 's  so  sick  had  got 
better,  or  gone  away,  or  something,  I  dare 
say  I  should  have  settled  down  in  his  room 
and  been  comfortable  enough.  But  he  seems 
just  about  as  he  was  when  we  came,  so  there  's 
no  use  waiting;  and  I'd  rather  go  to  the 
Shoshone  anyway.  I  always  said  it  was  a 
mistake  that  we  did  n't  go  there  in  the  first 
place.  It  was  Dr.  Hope's  doing,  and  I  have 
not  the  least  confidence  in  him.  He  has  n't 
osculated  me  once  since  I  came." 

"Hasn't  he?"  said  Clover,  feeling  her 
voice  tremble,  and  perfectly  aware  of  the 
shaking  of  Phil's  shoulders  behind  her. 

"  No  ;  and  I  don't  call  just  putting  his  ear 
to  my  chest,  listening.  Dr.  Bangs,  at  home, 
would  be  ashamed  to  come  to  the  house  with- 
out his  stethoscope.  I  mean  to  move  this 
afternoon.  I  've  given  Mrs.  Marsh  notice." 


OVER  A   PASS.  239 

So  Mrs.  Watson  and  her  belongings  went  to 
the  Shoshone,  and  Clover  packed  the  trunks 
with  a  lighter  heart  for  her  departure. 

The  last  day  of  July  found  Clover  and  Phil 
settled  in  the  Ute  Park.  It  was  a  wild  and 
beautiful  valley,  some  hundreds  of  feet  higher 
than  St.  Helen's,  and  seemed  the  very  home 
of  peace.  A  Sunday-like  quiet  pervaded  the 
place,  whose  stillness  was  never  broken  ex- 
cept by  bird-songs  and  the  rustle  of  the  pine 
branches. 

The  sides  of  the  valley  near  its  opening 
were  dotted  here  and  there  with  huts  and 
cabins  belonging  to  parties  who  had  fled  from 
the  heat  of  the  plains  for  the  summer.  At 
the  upper  end  stood  the  ranch  house,  —  a 
large,  rather  rudely  built  structure,  —  and 
about  it  were  a  number  of  cabins  and  cot- 
tages, in  which  two,  four,  or  six  people  could 
be  accommodated.  Clover  and  Phil  were 
lodged  in  one  of  these.  The  tiny  structure 
contained  only  a  sitting  and  two  sleeping 
rooms,  and  was  very  plain  and  bare.  But 
there  was  a  fireplace ;  wood  was  abundant,  so 


240  CLOVER. 

that  a  cheerful  blaze  could  be  had  for  cool 
evenings ;  and  the  little  piazza  faced  the  south, 
and  made  a  sheltered  sitting  place  on  windy 
days. 

One  pleasant  feature  of  the  spot  was  its 
nearness  to  the  High  Valley.  Clarence  and 
Geoff  Templestowe  thought  nothing  of  riding 
four  miles ;  and  scarcely  a  day  passed  when 
one  or  both  did  not  come  over.  They  brought 
wild-flowers,  or  cream,  or  freshly-churned  but- 
ter, as  offerings  from  the  ranch ;  and,  what 
Clover  valued  as  a  greater  kindness  yet,  they 
brought  Phil's  beloved  broncho,  Sorrel,  and 
arranged  with  the  owner  of  the  Ute  ranch  that 
it  should  remain  as  long  as  Phil  was  there. 
This  gave  Phil  hours  of  delightful  exercise 
every  day ;  and  though  sometimes  he  set  out 
early  in  the  morning  for  the  High  Valley,  and 
stayed  later  in  the  afternoon  than  his  sister 
thought  prudent,  she  had  not  the  heart  to 
chide,  so  long  as  he  was  visibly  getting  better 
hour  by  hour. 

Sundays  the  friends  spent  together,  as  a 
matter  of  course.  Geoff  waited  till  his  little 


OVER  A   PASS.  241 

home  service  for  the  ranchmen  was  over,  and 
then  would  gallop  across  with  Clarence  to 
pass  the  rest  of  the  day.  There  was  no  lack 
of  kind  people  at  the  main  house  and  in  the 
cottages  to  take  an  interest  in  the  delicate 
boy  and  his  sweet,  motherly  sister  ;  so  Clover 
had  an  abundance  of  volunteer  matrons,  and 
plenty  of  pleasant  ways  in  which  to  spend 
those  occasional  days  on  which  the  High  Val- 
ley attaches  failed  to  appear. 

It  was  a  simple,  healthful  life,  the  hap- 
piest on  the  whole  which  they  had  led  since 
leaving  home.  Once  or  twice  Mr.  Thurber 
Wade  made  his  appearance,  gallantly  mount- 
ed, and  freighted  with  flowers  and  kind  mes- 
sages from  his  mother  to  Miss  Carr ;  but 
Clover  was  never  sorry  when  he  rode  away 
again.  Somehow  he  did  not  seem  to  belong 
to  the  Happy  Valley,  as  in  her  heart  she 
denominated  the  place. 

There  was  a  remarkable  deal  of  full  moon 
that  month,  as  it  seemed ;  at  least,  the  fact 
served  as  an  excuse  for  a  good  many  late  tran- 
sits between  the  valley  and  the  park.  Now 

16 


242  CLOVER. 

and  then  either  Clarence  or  Geoff  would  lead 
over  a  saddle-horse  and  give  Clover  a  good 
gallop  up  or  down  the  valley,  which  she 
always  enjoyed.  The  habit  which  she  had 
extemporized  for  her  visit  to  the  High  Valley 
answered  very  well,  and  Mrs.  Hope  had  lent 
her  a  hat. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  she  and  Clarence 
had  ridden  farther  than  usual,  quite  down  to 
the  end  of  the  pass,  where  the  road  dipped, 
and  descended  to  the  little  watering-place 
of  Canyon  Creek,  —  a  Swiss-like  village  of 
hotels  and  lodging-houses  and  shops  for  the 
sale  of  minerals  and  mineral  waters,  set  along 
the  steep  sides  of  a  narrow  green  valley. 
They  were  chatting  gayly,  and  had  just 
agreed  that  it  was  time  to  turn  their  horses' 
heads  homeward,  when  a  sudden  darkening 
made  them  aware  that  one  of  the  unexpected 
thunder-gusts  peculiar  to  the  region  was  upon 
them. 

They  were  still  a  mile  above  the  village; 
but  as  no  nearer  place  of  shelter  presented 
;tself,  they  decided  to  proceed.  But  the 


OVER  A   PASS.  243 

storm  moved  more  rapidly  than  they;  and 
long  before  the  first  houses  came  in  sight  the 
heavy  drops  began  to  pelt  down.  A  brown 
young  fellow,  lying  flat  on  his  back  under  a 
thick  bush,  with  his  horse  standing  over  him, 
shouted  to  them  to  "  try  the  cave,"  waving  his 
hand  in  its  direction ;  and  hurrying  on,  they 
saw  in  another  moment  a  shelving  brow  of 
rock  in  the  cliff,  under  which  was  a  deep  recess. 

To  this  Clarence  directed  the  horses.  He 
lifted  Clover  down.  She  half  sat,  half  leaned 
on  the  slope  of  the  rock,  well  under  cover, 
while  he  stretched  himself  at  full  length  on  a 
higher  ledge,  and  held  the  bridles  fast.  The 
horses'  heads  and  the  saddles  were  fairly  well 
protected,  but  the  hindquarters  of  the  animals 
were  presently  streaming  with  water. 

"  This  is  n't  half -bad,  is  it  ?  "  Clarence  said. 
His  mouth  was  so  close  to  Clover's  ear  that 
she  could  catch  his  words  in  spite  of  the  noisy 
thunder  and  the  roar  of  the  descending  rain. 

"  No  ;  I  call  it  fun." 

"  You  look  awfully  pretty,  do  you  know  ?  " 
was  the  next  and  very  unexpected  remark. 


244  CLOVER. 

"  Nonsense." 

"  Not  nonsense  at  all." 

At  that  moment  a  carriage  dashed  rapidly 
by,  the  driver  guiding  the  horses  as  well  as 
he  could  between  the  points  of  an  umbrella, 
which  constantly  menaced  his  eyes.  Other 
travellers  in  the  pass  had  evidently  been  sur- 
prised by  the  storm  besides  themselves.  The 
lady  who  held  the  umbrella  looked  out,  and 
caught  the  picture  of  the  group  under  the 
cliff.  It  was  a  suggestive  one.  Clover's 
hat  was  a  little  pushed  forward  by  the  rock 
against  which  she  leaned,  which  in  its  turn 
pushed  forward  the  waving  rings  of  hair 
which  shaded  her  forehead,  but  did  not  hide 
her  laughing  eyes,  or  the  dimples  in  her  pink 
cheeks.  The  fair,  slender  girl,  the  dark,  stal- 
wart young  fellow  so  close  to  her,  the  rain,  the 
half-sheltered  horses,  —  it  was  easy  enough  to 
construct  a  little  romance. 

The  lady  evidently  did  so.  It  was  what 
photographers  call  an  "  instantaneous  effect," 
caught  in  three  seconds,  as  the  carriage 
whirled  past;  but  in  that  fraction  of  a  min- 


OVER  A   PASS.  245 

ute  the  lady  had  nodded  and  flashed  a  bril- 
liant, sympathetic  smile  in  their  direction,  and 
Clover  had  nodded  in  return,  and  laughed 
back. 

"  A  good  many  people  seem  to  have  been 
caught  as  we  have,"  she  said,  as  another 
streaming  vehicle  dashed  by. 

"  I  wish  it  would  rain  for  a  week,"  observed 
Clarence. 

"  My  gracious,  what  a  wish !  What  would 
become  of  us  if  it  did  ?  " 

"  We  should  stay  here  just  where  we  are, 
and  I  should  have  you  all  to  myself  for  once, 
and  nobody  could  come  in  to  interfere  with 
me." 

"  Thank  you  extremely !  How  hungry 
we  should  be !  How  can  you  be  so  absurd, 
Clarence  ?  " 

"  I  'm  not  absurd  at  all.  I  'm  perfectly  in 
earnest." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  really  want  to 
stay  a  week  under  this  rock  with  nothing 
to  eat?" 

"  Well,  no  ;   not  exactly  that  perhaps,  — • 


246  CLOVER. 

though  if  you  could,  I  would.  But  I  mean 
that  I  would  like  to  get  you  for  a  whole  solid 
week  to  myself.  There  is  such  a  gang  of 
people  about  always,  and  they  all  want 
you.  Clover,"  he  went  on,  for,  puzzled  at 
his  tone,  she  made  no  answer,  "  could  n't 
you  like  me  a  little  ?  " 

"  I  like  you  a  great  deal.  You  come  next 
to  Phil  and  Dorry  with  me." 

"  Hang  Phil  and  Dorry !  Who  wants  to 
come  next  to  them  ?  I  want  you  to  like  me 
a  great  deal  more  than  that.  I  want  you  to 
love  me.  Could  n't  you,  Clover  ?  " 

"  How  strangely  you  talk !  I  do  love  you, 
of  course.  You 're  my  cousin." 

"  I  don't  care  to  be  loved  '  of  course.'  I 
want  to  be  loved  for  myself.  Clover,  you 
know  what  I  mean ;  you  must  know.  I  can 
afford  to  marry  now ;  won't  you  stay  in  Col- 
orado and  be  my  wife  ? " 

"  I  don't  think  you  know  what  you  are  say- 
ing, Clarence.  I'm  older  than  you  are.  I 
thought  you  looked  upon  me  as  a  sort  of 
mother  or  older  sister." 


OVER  A   PASS.  247 

"  Only  fifteen  months  older,"  retorted  Clar- 
ence. "  I  never  heard  of  any  one's  being  a 
mother  at  that  age.  I  'm  a  man  now,  I  would 
have  you  remember,  though  I  am  a  little 
younger  than  you,  and  know  my  own  mind 
as  well  as  if  I  were  fifty.  Dear  Clovy," 
coaxingly,  "  could  n't  you  ?  You  liked  the 
High  Valley,  did  n't  you  ?  I  'd  do  anything 
possible  to  make  it  nice  and  pleasant  for 

you." 

"  I  do  like  the  High  Valley  very  much,"  said 
Clover,  still  with  the  feeling  that  Clarence 
must  be  half  in  joke,  or  she  half  in  dream. 
"But,  my  dear  boy,  it  isn't  my  home.  I 
could  n't  leave  papa  and  the  children,  and  stay 
out  here,  even  with  you.  It  would  seem  so 
strange  and  far  away." 

"  You  could  if  you  cared  for  me,"  replied 
Clarence,  dejectedly ;  Clover's  kind,  argumen- 
tative, elder-sisterly  tone  was  precisely  that 
which  is  most  discouraging  to  a  lover. 

"  Oh,  dear,"  cried  poor  Clover,  not  far  from 
tears  herself;  "  this  is  dreadful !  " 

"What?"  moodily.      "Having  an  offer? 


248  CLOVER. 

You  must  have  had  lots  of  them  before 
now." 

"  Indeed  I  never  did.  People  don't  do  such 
things  in  Burnet.  Please  don't  say  any  more, 
Clarence.  I  'm  very  fond  of  you,  just  as  I  am 
of  the  boys ;  but  —  " 

"But  what?     Goon." 

"  How  can  I  ?  "     Clover  was  fairly  crying. 

"  You  mean  that  you  can't  love  me  in  the 
other  way." 

"Yes."  The  word  came  out  half  as  a 
sob,  but  the  sincerity  of  the  accent  was  un- 
mistakable. 

"  Well,"  said  poor  Clarence,  after  a  long 
bitter  pause ;  "  it  is  n't  your  fault,  I  suppose. 
I  'm  not  good  enough  for  you.  Still,  I  'd  have 
done  my  best,  if  you  would  have  taken  me, 
Clover." 

"  I  am  sure  you  would,"  eagerly.  "  You  've 
always  been  my  favorite  cousin,  you  know. 
People  can't  make  themselves  care  for  each 
other ;  it  has  to  come  in  spite  of  them  or  not 
at  all,  —  at  least,  that  is  what  the  novels  say. 
But  you  're  not  angry  with  me,  are  you, 


OVER   A   PASS.  249 

dear?  We  will  be  good  friends  always, 
sha'n't  we  ?  "  persuasively. 

"  I  wonder  if  we  can,"  said  Clarence,  in  a 
hopeless  tone.  "  It  does  n't  seem  likely ;  but 
I  don't  know  any  more  about  it  than  you  do. 
It 's  my  first  offer  as  well  as  yours."  Then, 
after  a  silence  and  a  struggle,  he  added  in  a 
more  manful  tone,  "  We  '11  try  for  it,  at  least. 
I  can't  afford  to  give  you  up.  You're  the 
sweetest  girl  in  the  world.  I  always  said  so, 
and  I  say  so  still.  It  will  be  hard  at  first,  but 
perhaps  it  may  grow  easier  with  time." 

"  Oh,  it  will,"  cried  Clover,  hopefully.  « It 's 
only  because  you  're  so  lonely  out  here,  and 
see  so  few  people,  that  makes  you  suppose  I 
am  better  than  the  rest.  One  of  these  days 
you  '11  find  a  girl  who  is  a  great  deal  nicer  than 
I  am,  and  then  you  '11  be  glad  that  I  did  n't  say 
yes.  There  !  the  rain  is  just  stopping." 

"  It 's  easy  enough  to  talk,"  remarked  Clar- 
ence, gloomily,  as  he  gathered  up  the  bridles 
of  the  horses ;  "  but  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the 
kind,  I  declare  I  won't ! " 


CHAPTER  X. 

NO.    13   PIUTE   STREET. 

LOVER  did  not  see  Clarence  again 
for  several  days  after  this  conver- 
sation, the  remembrance  of  which 
was  uncomfortable  to  her.  She  feared  he  was 
feeling  hurt  or  "  huffy,"  and  would  show  it  in 
his  manner ;  and  she  disliked  very  much  the 
idea  that  Phil  might  suspect  the  reason,  or, 
worse  still,  Mr.  Templestowe. 

But  when  he  finally  appeared  he  seemed 
much  the  same  as  usual.  After  all,  she  re- 
flected, it  has  only  been  a  boyish  impulse ; 
he  has  already  got  over  it,  or  not  meant  all 
he  said. 

In  this  she  did  Clarence  an  injustice.  He 
had  been  very  much  in  earnest  when  he  spoke ; 
and  it  showed  the  good  stuff  which  was  in 
him  and  his  real  regard  for  Clover  that  he 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STREET.  251 

should  be  making  so  manly  a  struggle  with 
his  disappointment  and  pain.  His  life  had 
been  a  lonely  one  in  Colorado ;  he  could  not 
afford  to  quarrel  with  his  favorite  cousin,  and 
with  him,  as  with  other  lovers,  there  may  have 
been,  besides,  some  lurking  hope  that  she 
might  yet  change  her  mind.  But  perhaps 
Clover  in  a  measure  was  right  in  her  convic- 
tion that  Clarence  was  still  too  young  and 
undeveloped  to  have  things  go  very  deep  with 
him.  He  seemed  to  her  in  many  ways  as 
boyish  and  as  undisciplined  as  Phil. 

With  early  September  the  summering  of 
the  Ute  Park  came  to  a  close.  The  cold  be- 
gins early  at  that  elevation,  and  light  frosts 
and  red  leaves  warned  the  dwellers  in  tents 
and  cabins  to  flee. 

Clover  made  her  preparations  for  departure 
with  real  reluctance.  She  had  grown  very 
fond  of  the  place ;  but  Phil  was  perfectly 
himself  again,  and  there  seemed  no  reason 
for  their  staying  longer. 

So  back  to  St.  Helen's  they  went  and  to 
Mrs.  Marsh,  who,  in  reply  to  Clover's  letter, 


252  CLOVER. 

had  written  that  she  must  make  room  for 
them  somehow,  though  for  the  life  of  her  she 
could  n't  say  how.  It  proved  to  be  in  two 
small  back  rooms.  An  irruption  of  Eastern 
invalids  had  filled  the  house  to  overflowing, 
and  new  faces  met  them  at  every  turn.  Two 
or  three  of  the  last  summer's  inmates  had 
died  during  their  stay,  —  one  of  them  the 
very  sick  man  whose  room  Mrs.  Watson  had 
coveted.  His  death  took  place  "  as  if  on  pur- 
pose," she  told  Clover,  the  very  week  after 
her  removal  to  the  Shoshone. 

Mrs.  "Watson  herself  was  preparing  for  re- 
turn to  the  East.    "  I  've  seen  the  West  now," 

•| 

she  said,  —  "  all  I  want  to  see ;  and  I  'm  quite 
ready  to  go  back  to  my  own  part  of  the  coun- 
try. Ellen  writes  that  she  thinks  I  'd  better 
start  for  home  so  as  to  get  settled  before 
the  cold  —  And  it 's  so  cold  here  that  I 
can't  realize  that  they  're  still  in  the  middle 
of  peaches  at  home.  Ellen  always  spices  a 
great  —  They  're  better  than  preserves  ; 
and  as  for  the  canned  ones,  why,  peaches 
and  water  is  what  I  call  them.  Well  —  my 


NO.    13   PIUTE    STREET.  253 

dear  —  "  (Distance  lends  enchantment,  and 
Clover  had  become  "  My  dear  "  again.)  "  I  'm 
glad  I  could  come  out  and  help  you  along ; 
and  now  that  you  know  so  many  people  here, 
you  won't  need  me  so  much  as  you  did  at  first. 
I  shall  tell  Mrs.  Perkins  to  write  to  Mrs.  Hall 
to  tell  your  father  how  well  your  brother  is 
looking,  and  I  know  he'll  be  —  And  here 's 
a  little  handkerchief  for  a  keepsake." 

It  was  a  pretty  handkerchief,  of  pale  yel- 
low silk  with  embroidered  corners,  and  Clover 
kissed  the  old  lady  as  she  thanked  her,  and 
they  parted  good  friends.  But  their  inter- 
course had  led  her  to  make  certain  firm 
resolutions. 

"  I  will  try  to  keep  my  mind  clear  and  my 
talk  clear ;  to  learn  what  I  want  and  what  I 
have  a  right  to  want  and  what  I  mean  to  say, 
so  as  not  to  puzzle  and  worry  people  when 
I  grow  old,  by  being  vague  and  helpless  and 
fussy,"  she  reflected.  "1  suppose  if  I  don't 
form  the  habit  now,  I  sha'n't  be  able  to  then, 
and  it  would  be  dreadful  to  end  by  being  like 
poor  Mrs.  Watson." 


254  CLOVER. 

Altogether,  Mrs.  Marsh's  house  had  lost  its 
homelike  character;  and  it  was  not  strange 
that  under  the  circumstances  Phil  should  flag 
a  little.  He  was  not  ill,  but  he  was  out  of 
sorts  and  dismal,  and  disposed  to  consider  the 
presence  of  so  many  strangers  as  a  personal 
wrong.  Clover  felt  that  it  was  not  a  good 
atmosphere  for  him,  and  anxiously  revolved 
in  her  mind  what  was  best  to  do.  The  Sho- 
shone  was  much  too  expensive ;  good  board- 
ing-houses in  St.  Helen's  were  few  and  far 
between,  and  all  of  them  shared  in  a  still 
greater  degree  the  disadvantages  which  had 
made  themselves  felt  at  Mrs.  Marsh's. 

The  solution  to  her  puzzle  came  —  as  so- 
lutions often  do  —  unexpectedly.  She  was 
walking  down  Piute  Street  on  her  way  to  call 
on  Alice  Blanchard,  when  her  attention  was 
attracted  to  a  small,  shut-up  house,  on  which 
was  a  sign:  "No.  13.  To  Let,  Furnished." 
The  sign  was  not  printed,  but  written  on 
a  half-sheet  of  foolscap,  which  was  what  led 
Clover  to  notice  it. 

She  studied  the  house  a  while,  then  opened 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STREET.  255 

the  gate,  and  went  in.  Two  or  three  steps 
led  to  a  little  piazza.  She  seated  herself  on 
the  top  step,  and  tried  to  peep  in  at  the 
closed  blinds  of  the  nearest  window. 

While  she  was  doing  so,  a  woman  with  a 
shawl  over  her  head  came  hastily  down  a 
narrow  side  street  or  alley,  and  approached 
her. 

"  Oh,  did  you  want  the  key  ?  "  she  said. 

"  The  key  ?  "  replied  Clover,  surprised  ; 
"  of  this  house,  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Mis  Starkey  left  it  with  me  when 
she  went  away,  because,  she  said,  it  was 
handy,  and  I  could  give  it  to  anybody  who 
wished  to  look  at  the  place.  You  're  the  first 
that  has  come ;  so  when  I  see  you  setting 
here,  I  just  ran  over.  Did  Mr.  Beloit  send 

you?"  " 

"  No ;  nobody  sent  me.  Is  it  Mr.  Beloit 
who  has  the  letting  of  the  house  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  I  can  let  folks  in.  I  told  Mis 
Starkey  I  'd  air  and  dust  a  little  now  and 
then,  if  it  was  n't  took.  Poor  soul  !  she 
was  anxious  enough  aboujb  it;  and  it  all  had 


256  CLOVER. 

to  be  done  on  a  sudden,  and  she  in  such  a 
heap  of  trouble  that  she  did  n't  know  which 
way  to  turn.  It  was  just  lock-up  and  go !  " 

"  Tell  me  about  her,"  said  Clover,  making 
room  on  the  step  for  the  woman  to  sit  down. 

"Well,  she  come  out  last  year  with  her 
man,  who  had  lung  trouble,  and  he  wasn't  no 
better  at  first,  and  then  he  seemed  to  pick  up 
for  a  while ;  and  they  took  this  house  and 
fixed  themselves  to  stay  for  a  year,  at  least. 
They  made  it  real  nice,  too,  and  slicked  up 
considerable.  Mis  Starkey  said,  said  she,  '  I 
don't  want  to  spend  no  more  money  on  it 
than  I  can  help,  but  Mr.  Starkey  must  be 
made  comfortable,'  says  she,  them  was  her 
very  words.  He  used  to  set  out  on  this  stoop 
all  day  long  in  the  summer,  and  she  alongside 
him,  except  when  she  had  to  be  indoors  doing 
the  work.  She  did  n't  keep  no  regular  help. 
I  did  the  washing  for  her,  and  come  in  now 
and  U>en  for  a  day  to  clean ;  so  she  managed 
very  well. 

"  Then,  —  Wednesday  before  last,  it  was,  — 
he  had  a  bleeding,  and  sank  away  like  all  in  a 


NO.    13   PIUTE    STREET.  257 

minute,  and  was  gone  before  the  doctor  could 
be  had.  Mis  Starkey  was  all  stunned  like  with 
the  shock  of  it ;  and  before  she  had  got  her 
mind  cleared  up  so 's  to  order  about  anything, 
come  a  telegraph  to  say  her  son  was  down 
with  diphtheria,  and  his  wife  with  a  young 
baby,  and  both  was  very  low.  And  between 
one  and  the  other  she  was  pretty  near  out  of 
her  wits.  We  packed  her  up  as  quick  as  we 
could,  and  he  was  sent  off  by  express ;  and 
she  says  to  me,  <  Mis  Kenny,  you  see  how 
't  is.  1  've  got  this  house  on  my  hands  till 
May.  There  's  no  time  to  see  to  anything, 
and  I  've  got  no  heart  to  care ;  but  if  any 
one  '11  take  it  for  the  winter,  well  and  good  ; 
and  I  '11  leave  the  sheets  and  table-cloths  and 
everything  in  it,  because  it  may  make  a  dif- 
ference, and  I  don't  mind  about  them  nohow. 
And  if  no  one  does  take  it,  I  '11  just  have  to 
bear  the  loss,'  says  she.  Poor  soul !  she  was 
in  a  world  of  trouble,  surely." 

"  Do  you  know  what  rent  she  asks  for  the 
house  ?  "  said  Clover,  in  whose  mind  a  vague 
plan  was  beginning  to  take  shape. 

17 


258  CLOVER. 

"  Twenty-five  a  month  was  what  she  paid  ; 
and  she  said  she'd  throw  the  furniture  in 
for  the  rest  of  the  time,  just  to  get  rid  of  the 
rent." 

Clover  reflected.  Twenty-five  dollars  a 
week  was  what  they  were  paying  at  Mrs. 
Marsh's.  Could  they  take  this  house  and  live 
on  the  same  sum,  after  deducting  the  rent, 
and  perhaps  get  this  good-natured-looking 
woman  to  come  in  for  a  certain  number  of 
hours  and  help  do  the  work?  She  almost 
fancied  that  they  could  if  they  kept  no  regu- 
lar servant 

"  I  think  I  would  like  to  see  the  house,"  she 
said  at  last,  after  a  silent  calculation  and  a 
scrutinizing  look  at  Mrs.  Kenny,  who  was  a 
faded,  wiry,  but  withal  kindly-looking  person, 
shrewd  and  clean, — a  North  of  Ireland  Protes- 
tant, as  she  afterward  told  Clover.  In  fact, 
her  accent  was  rather  Scotch  than  Irish. 

They  went  in.  The  front  door  opened 
into  a  minute  hall,  from  which  another  door 
led  into  a  back  hall  with  a  staircase.  There 
was  a  tiny  sitting-room,  an  equally  tiny  din- 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STREET.  259 

ing-room,  a  small  kitchen,  and  above,  two 
bedrooms  and  a  sort  of  unplastered  space, 
which  would  answer  to  put  trunks  in.  That 
was  all,  save  a  little  woodshed.  Everything 
was  bare  and  scanty  and  rather  particularly 
ugly.  The  sitting-room  had  a  frightful  paper 
of  mingled  mustard  and  molasses  tint,  and  a 
matted  floor ;  but  there  was  a  good-sized 
open  fireplace  for  the  burning  of  wood,  in 
which  two  bricks  did  duty  for  andirons,  three 
or  four  splint  and  cane  bottomed  chairs,  a 
lounge,  and  a  table,  while  the  pipe  of  the 
large  "  Morning-glory  "  stove  in  the  dining- 
room  expanded  into  a  sort  of  drum  in  the 
chamber  above.  This  secured  a  warm  sleep- 
ing place  for  Phil.  Clover  began  to  think 
that  they  could  make  it  do. 

Mrs.  Kenny,  who  evidently  considered  the 
house  as  a  wonder  of  luxury  and  convenience, 
opened  various  cupboards,  and  pointed  ad- 
miringly to  the  glass  and  china,  the  kitchen 
tins  and  utensils,  and  the  cotton  sheets  and 
pillow-cases  which  they  respectively  held. 

"  There  's  water  laid  on,"  she  said  j  "  you 


260  CLOVER. 

don't  have  to  pump  any.  Here  's  the  wash- 
tubs  in  the  shed.  That 's  a  real  nice  tin 
boiler  for  the  clothes,  —  I  never  see  a  nicer. 
Mis  Starkey  had  that  heater  in  the  dining- 
room  set  the  very  week  before  she  went  away. 
{  Winter 's  coming  on/  she  says,  '  and  I  must 
see  about  keeping  my  husband  warm ; '  never 
thinking,  poor  thing,  how  't  was  to  be." 

"  Does  this  chimney  draw  ? "  asked  the 
practical  Clover ;  "  and  does  the  kitchen  stove 
bake  well  ?  " 

"  First-rate.  I  've  seen  Mis  Starkey  take 
her  biscuits  out  many  a  time,  —  as  nice  a 
brown  as  ever  you  'd  want ;  and  the  chimney 
don't  smoke  a  mite.  They  kep'  a  wood  fire 
here  in  May  most  all  the  time,  so  I  know." 

Clover  thought  the  matter  over  for  a  day 
or  two,  consulted  with  Dr.  Hope,  and  finally 
decided  to  try  the  experiment.  No.  13  was 
taken,  and  Mrs.  Kenny  engaged  for  two  days' 
work  each  week,  with  such  other  occasional 
assistance  as  Clover  might  require.  She  was 
a  widow,  it  seemed,  with  one  son,  who,  being 
employed  on  the  railroad,  only  came  home 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STREET.  261 

for  the  nights.  She  was  glad  of  a  regular  en- 
gagement, and  proved  an  excellent  stand-by 
and  a  great  help  to  Clover,  to  whom  she  had 
taken  a  fancy  from  the  start ;  and  many  were 
the  good  turns  which  she  did  for  love  rather 
than  hire  for  "  my  little  Miss,"  as  she  called 
her. 

To  Phil  the  plan  seemed  altogether  de- 
lightful. This  was  natural,  as  all  the  fun  fell 
to  his  share  and  none  of  the  trouble ;  a  fact 
of  which  Mrs.  Hope  occasionally  reminded 
him.  Clover  persisted,  however,  that  it  was 
all  fair,  and  that  she  got  lots  of  fun  out  of 
it  too,  and  did  n't  mind  the  trouble.  The 
house  was  so  absurdly  small  that  it  seemed  to 
strike  every  one  as  a  good  joke ;  and  Clover's 
friends  set  themselves  to  help  in  the  prepa- 
rations, as  if  the  establishment  in  Piute  Street 
were  a  kind  of  baby-house  about  which  they 
could  amuse  themselves  at  will. 

It  is  a  temptation  always  to  make  a  house 
pretty,  but  Clover  felt  herself  on  honor  to 
spend  no  more  than  was  necessary.  Papa 
had  trusted  her,  and  she  was  resolved  to  jus- 


262  CLOVER. 

tify  his  trust.  So  she  bravely  withstood  her 
desire  for  several  things  which  would  have 
been  great  improvements  so  far  as  looks 
went,  and  confined  her  purchases  to  articles 
of  clear  necessity, —  extra  blankets,  a  bedside 
carpet  for  Phil's  room,  and  a  chafing-dish 
over  which  she  could  prepare  little  impromptu 
dishes,  and  so  save  fuel  and  fatigue.  She 
allowed  herself  some  cheap  Madras  curtains 
for  the  parlor,  and  a  few  yards  of  deep-red 
flannel  to  cover  sundry  shelves  and  corner 
brackets  which  Geoffrey  Templestowe,  who 
had  a  turn  for  carpentry,  put  up  for  her. 
Various  loans  and  gifts,  too,  appeared  from 
friendly  attics  and  store-rooms  to  help  out. 
Mrs.  Hope  hunted  up  some  old  iron  fire- 
dogs  and  a  pair  of  bellows,  Poppy  contributed 
a  pair  of  brass-knobbed  tongs,  and  Mrs.  Marsh 
lent  her  a  lamp.  No.  13  began  to  look 
attractive. 

They  were  nearly  ready,  but  not  yet  moved 
in,  when  one  day  as  Clover  stood  in  the  queer 
little  parlor,  contemplating  the  effect  of 
Geoff's  last  effort,  —  an  extra  pine  shelf  above 


NO.    13   PIUTE    STREET.  263 

the  narrow  mantel-shelf,  —  a  pair  of  arms 
stole  round  her  waist,  and  a  cheek  which  had 
a  sweet  familiarity  about  it  was  pressed  against 
hers.  She  turned,  and  gave  a  great  shriek 
of  amazement  and  joy,  for  it  was  her  sister 
Katy's  arms  that  held  her.  Beyond,  in  the 
doorway,  were  Mrs.  Ashe  and  Amy,  with  Phil 
between  them. 

"  Is  it  you  ;  is  it  really  you  ?  "  cried  Clover, 
laughing  and  sobbing  all  at  once  in  her  happy 
excitement.  "  How  did  it  happen  ?  I  never 
knew  that  you  were  coming." 

"  Neither  did  we  ;  it  all  happened  sud- 
denly," explained  Katy.  "  The  ship  was  or- 
dered to  New  York  on  three  days'  notice,  and 
as  soon  as  Ned  sailed,  Polly  and  I  made  haste 
to  follow.  There  would  have  been  just  time 
to  get  a  letter  here  if  we  had  written  at  once, 
but  I  had  the  fancy  to  give  you  a  surprise." 

"  Oh,  it  is  such  a  nice  surprise  !  But  when 
did  you  come,  and  where  are  you  ?  " 

"  At  the  Shoshone  House,  —  at  least  our 
bags  are  there  ;  but  we  only  stayed  a  minute, 
we  were  in  such  a  hurry  to  get  to  you.  We 


264  CLOVER. 

went  to  Mrs.  Marsh's  and  found  Phil,  who 
brought  us  here.  Have  you  really  taken  this 
funny  little  house,  as  Phil  tells  us  ?  " 

"  We  really  have.  Oh,  what  a  comfort  it 
will  be  to  tell  you  all  about  it,  and  have  you 
say  if  I  have  done  right !  Dear,  dear  Katy,  I 
feel  as  if  home  had  just  arrived  by  train. 
And  Polly,  too !  You  all  look  so  well,  and  as 
if  California  had  agreed  with  you.  Amy  has 
grown  so  that  I  should  scarcely  have  known 
her." 

Four  delightful  days  followed.  Katy  flung 
herself  into  all  Clover's  plans  with  the  full 
warmth  of  sisterly  interest;  and  though  the 
Hopes  and  other  kind  friends  made  many 
hospitable  overtures,  and  would  gladly  have 
turned  her  short  visit  into  a  continue  us  fete, 
she  persisted  in  keeping  the  main  part  of 
her  time  free.  She  must  see  a  little  of  St. 
Helen's,  she  declared,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
tell  her  father  about  it,  and  she  must  help 
Clover  to  get  to  housekeeping,  —  these  were 
the  important  things,  and  nothing  else  must 
interfere  with  them. 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STREET.  265 

Most  effectual  assistance  did  she  render  in 
the  way  of  unpacking  and  arranging.  More 
than  that,  one  day,  when  Clover,  rather  to 
her  own  disgust,  had  been  made  to  go  with 
Polly  and  Amy  to  Denver  while  Katy  stayed 
behind,  lo !  on  her  return,  a  transformation 
had  taken  place,  and  the  ugly  paper  in  the 
parlor  of  No.  13  was  found  replaced  with  one 
of  warm,  sunny  gold-brown. 

"  Oh,  why  did  you  ?  "  cried  Clover.  "  It 's 
only  for  a  few  months,  and  the  other  would 
have  answered  perfectly  well.  Why  did  you, 
Katy  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  it  was  foolish,"  Katy  admitted  ; 
"  but  somehow  I  could  n't  bear  to  have  you  sit- 
ting opposite  that  deplorable  mustard-colored 
thing  all  winter  long.  And  really  and  truly  it 
hardly  cost  anything.  It  was  a  remnant  re- 
duced to  ten  cents  a  roll,  —  the  whole  thing 
was  less  than  four  dollars.  You  can  call  it  your 
Christmas  present  from  me,  if  you  like,  and  I 
shall  '  play '  besides  that  the  other  paper  had 
arsenic  in  it ;  I  'm  sure  it  looked  as  if  it  had, 
and  corrosive  sublimate,  too." 


266  CLOVER. 

Clover  laughed  outright.  It  was  so  funny 
to  hear  Katy's  fertility  of  excuse. 

"  You  dear,  ridiculous  darling ! "  she  said, 
giving  her  sister  a  good  hug ;  "  it  was  just 
like  you,  and  though  I  scold  I  am  perfectly 
delighted.  I  did  hate  that  paper  with  all  my 
heart,  and  this  is  lovely.  It  makes  the  room 
look  like  a  different  thing." 

Other  benefactions  followed.  Polly,  it  ap- 
peared, had  bought  more  Indian  curiosities  in 
Denver  than  she  knew  what  to  do  with,  and 
begged  permission  to  leave  a  big  bear-skin 
and  two  wolf-skins  with  Clover  for  the  winter, 
and  a  splendid  striped  Navajo  blanket  as  a  por- 
tiere to  keep  off  draughts  from  the  entry. 
Katy  had  set  herself  up  in  California  blankets 
while  they  were  in  San  Francisco,  and  she  now 
insisted  on  leaving  a  pair  behind,  and  loaning 
Clover  besides  one  of  two  beautiful  Japanese 
silk  pictures  which  Ned  had  given  her,  and 
which  made  a  fine  spot  of  color  on  the  pretty 
new  wall.  There  were  presents  in  her  trunks 
for  all  at  home,  and  Ned  had  sent  Clover  a 
beautiful  lacquered  box. 


NO.    13    PIUTE   STREET.  267 

Somehow  Clover  seemed  like  a  new  and 
doubly-interesting  Clover  to  Katy.  She  was 
struck  by  the  self-reliance  which  had  grown 
upon  her,  by  her  bright  ways  and  the  capac- 
ity and  judgment  which  all  her  arrangements 
exhibited;  and  she  listened  with  delight  to 
Mrs.  Hope's  praises  of  her  sister. 

"  She  really  is  a  wonderful  little  creature  ; 
so  wise  and  judgmatical,  and  yet  so  pretty  and 
full  of  fun.  People  are  quite  cracked  about 
her  out  here.  I  don't  think  you  '11  ever  get  her 
back  at  the  East  again,  Mrs.  Worthington. 
There  seems  a  strong  determination  on  the 
part  of  several  persons  to  keep  her  here." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

But  Mrs.  Hope,  who  believed  in  the  old 
proverb  about  not  addling  eggs  by  med- 
dling with  them  prematurely,  refused  to  say 
another  word.  Clover,  when  questioned, 
"  could  not  imagine  what  Mrs.  Hope  meant ; " 
and  Katy  had  to  go  away  with  her  curi- 
osity unsatisfied.  Clarence  came  in  once 
while  she  was  there,  but  she  did  not  see 
Mr.  Templestowe. 


268  CLOVEK. 

Katy's  last  gift  to  Clover  was  a  pretty 
tea-pot  of  Japanese  ware.  "  I  meant  it  for 
Cecy,"  she  explained.  "  But  as  you  have 
none  I  '11  give  it  to  you  instead,  and  take 
her  the  fan  I  meant  for  you.  It  seems  more 
appropriate." 

Phil  and  Clover  moved  into  No.  13  the 
day  before  the  Eastern  party  left,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  celebrate  the  occasion  by  having 
them  all  to  an  impromptu  house-warming. 
There  was  not  much  to  eat,  and  things  were 
still  a  little  unsettled ;  but  Clover  scrambled 
some  eggs  on  her  little  blazer  for  them,  the 
newly-lit  fire  burned  cheerfully,  and  a  good 
deal  of  quiet  fun  went  on  about  it.  Amy 
was  so  charmed  with  the  minute  establish- 
ment that  she  declared  she  meant  to  have 
one  exactly  like  it  for  Mabel  whenever  she 
got  married. 

"  And  a  spirit-lamp,  too,  just  like  Clover's, 
and  a  cunning,  teeny-weeny  kitchen  and 
a  stove  to  boil  things  on.  Mamma,  when 
shall  I  be  old  enough  to  have  a  house  all  of 
my  own  ? " 


NO.    13   PIUTE    STREET.  269 

"  Not  till  you  are  tired  of  playing  with 
dolls,  I  am  afraid." 

"  Well,  that  will  be  never.  If  I  thought  I 
ever  could  be  tired  of  Mabel,  I  should  be  so 
ashamed  of  myself  that  I  should  not  know 
what  to  do.  You  ought  n't  to  say  such  things, 
Mamma ;  she  might  hear  you,  too,  and  have 
her  feelings  hurt.  And  please  don't  call  her 
that"  said  Amy,  who  had  as  strong  an  ob- 
jection to  the  word  "  doll "  as  mice  are  said 
to  have  to  the  word  "  cat." 

Next  morning  the  dear  home  people  pro- 
ceeded on  their  way,  and  Clover  fell  to  work 
resolutely  on  her  housekeeping,  glad  to  keep 
busy,  for  she  had  a  little  fear  of  being  home- 
sick for  Katy.  Every  small  odd  and  end  that 
she  had  brought  with  her  from  Burnet  came 
into  play  now.  The  photographs  were  pinned 
on  the  wall,  the  few  books  and  ornaments 
took  their  places  on  the  extemporized  shelves 
and  on  the  table,  which,  thanks  to  Mrs.  Hope, 
was  no  longer  bare,  but  hidden  by  a  big 
square  of  red  canton  flannel.  There  was 
almost  always  a  little  bunch  of  flowers  from 


270  CLOVER. 

the  Wade  greenhouses,  which  were  supposed 
to  come  from  Mrs.  "Wade  ;  and  altogether  the 
effect  was  cosey,  and  the  little  interior  looked 
absolutely  pretty,  though  the  result  was  at- 
tained by  such  very  simple  means. 

Phil  thought  it  heavenly  to  be  by  them- 
selves and  out  of  the  reach  of  strangers. 
Everything  tasted  delicious ;  all  the  arrange- 
ments pleased  him ;  never  was  boy  so  easily 
suited  as  he  for  those  first  few  weeks  at 
No.  13. 

"  You  're  awfully  good  to  me,  Clover,"  he 
said  one  night  rather  suddenly,  from  the 
depths  of  his  rocking-chair. 

The  remark  was  so  little  in  Phil's  line  that 
it  quite  made  her  jump. 

"  Why,  Phil,  what  made  you  say  that  ? " 
she  asked. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  I  was  thinking  about 
it.  We  used  to  call  Katy  the  nicest,  but 
you  're  just  as  good  as  she  is.  [This  Clover 
justly  considered  a  tremendous  compliment.] 
You  alwavs  make  a  fellow  feel  like  home,  as 

•/  ' 

Geoff  Templestowe  says." 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STKEET.  271 

"  Did  Geoff  say  that  ?  "  with  a  warm  sense 
of  gladness  at  her  heart.  "  How  nice  of  him ! 
What  made  him  say  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know ;  it  was  up  in  the  can- 
yon one  day  when  we  got  to  talking,"  re 
plied  Phil.  "  There  are  no  flies  on  you,  he 
considers.  I  asked  him  once  if  he  didn't 
think  Miss  Chase  pretty,  and  he  said  not 
half  so  pretty  as  you  were." 

"Really!  You  seem  to  have  been  very 
confidential.  And  what  is  that  about  flies? 
Phil,  Phil,  you  really  must  n't  use  such  slang." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  slang ;  but  it 's  an  awfully 
nice  expression  anyway." 

"  But  what  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  must  see  just  by  the  sound  of  it 
what  it  means,  —  that  there  's  no  nonsense 
sticking  out  all  over  you  like  some  of  the 
girls.  It's  a  great  compliment!" 

"Is  it?  Well,  I'm  glad  to  know.  But 
Mr.  Templestowe  never  used  such  a  phrase, 
I'm  sure." 

"No,  he  didn't,"  admitted  Phil  j  "but 
that 's  what  he  meant." 


272  CLOVER. 

So  the  winter  drew  on,  —  the  strange,  beau- 
tiful Colorado  winter,  —  with  weeks  of  golden 
sunshine  broken  by  occasional  storms  of  wind 
and  sand,  or  by  skurries  of  snow  which  made 
the  plains  white  for  a  few  hours  and  then 
vanished,  leaving  them  dry  and  firm  as  before. 
The  nights  were  often  cold,  —  so  cold  that 
comfortables  and  blankets  seemed  all  too  few, 
and  Clover  roused  with  a  shiver  to  think  that 
presently  it  would  be  her  duty  to  get  up  and 
start  the  fires  so  that  Phil  might  find  a  warm 
house  when  he  came  downstairs.  Then,  be- 
fore she  knew  it,  fires  would  seem  oppressive ; 
first  one  window  and  then  another  would  be 
thrown  up,  and  Phil  would  be  sitting  on  the 
piazza  in  the  balmy  sunshine  as  comfortable 
as  on  a  June  morning  at  home.  It  was  a 
wonderful  climate ;  and  as  Clover  wrote  her 
father,  the  winter  was  better  even  than  the 
summer,  and  was  certainly  doing  Phil  more 
good.  He  was  able  to  spend  hours  every  day 
in  the  open  air,  walking,  or  riding  Dr.  Hope's 
horse,  and  improved  steadily.  Clover  felt 
very  happy  about  him. 


NO.    13   PIUTE    STREET.  273 

This  early  rising  and  fire-making  were  the 
hardest  things  she  had  to  encounter,  though 
all  the  housekeeping  proved  more  onerous 
than,  in  her  inexperience,  she  had  expected 
it  to  be.  After  the  first  week  or  two,  how- 
ever, she  managed  very  well,  and  gradually 
learned  the  little  labor-saving  ways  which  can 
only  be  learned  by  actual  experiment.  Get- 
ting breakfast  and  tea  she  enjoyed,  for  they 
could  be  chiefly  managed  by  the  use  of  the 
chafing-dish.  Dinners  were  more  difficult, 
till  she  hit  on  the  happy  idea  of  having  Mrs. 
Kenny  roast  a  big  piece  of  beef  or  mutton,  or 
a  pair  of  fowls  every  Monday.  These  pieces 
de  resistance  in  their  different  stages  of  hot, 
cold,  and  warmed  over,  carried  them  well 
along  through  the  week,  and,  supplemented 
with  an  occasional  chop  or  steak,  served  very 
well.  Fairly  good  soups  could  be  bought  in 
tins,  which  needed  only  to  be  seasoned  and 
heated  for  use  on  table.  Oysters  were  eas- 
ily procurable  there,  as  everywhere  in  the 
West ;  good  brown-bread  and  rolls  carne  from 
the  bakery ;  and  Clover  developed  a  hitherto 

'8 


274  CLOVER. 

dormant  talent  for  cookery  and  the  making  of 
Graham  gems,  corn-dodgers,  hoe-cakes  baked 
on  a  barrel  head  before  the  parlor  fire,  and 
wonderful  little  flaky  biscuits  raised  all  in  a 
minute  with  Royal  Baking  Powder. 

She  also  became  expert  in  that  other  fine 
art  of  condensing  work,  and  making  it  move 
in  easy  grooves.  Her  tea  things  she  washed 
with  her  breakfast  things,  just  setting  the 
cups  and  plates  in  the  sink  for  the  night, 
pouring  a  dipper  full  of  boiling  water  over 
them.  There  was  no  silver  to  care  for,  no 
delicate  glass  or  valuable  china ;  the  very 
simplicity  of  apparatus  made  the  house  an 
easy  one  to  keep.  Clover  was  kept  busy,  for 
simplify  as  you  will,  providing  for  the  daily 
needs  of  two  persons  does  take  time ;  but  she 
liked  her  cares  and  rarely  felt  tired.  The 
elastic  and  vigorous  air  seemed  to  build  up 
her  forces  from  moment  to  moment,  and  each 
day's  fatigues  were  more  than  repaired  by 
each  night's  rest,  which  is  the  balance  of  true 
lealth  in  living. 

Little  pleasures  came  from  time  to  time. 


NO.    13    PIUTE    STREET.  275 

Christmas  Day  they  spent  with  the  Hopes, 
who  from  first  to  last  proved  the  kindest  and 
most  helpful  of  friends  to  them.  The  young 
men  from  the  High  Valley  were  there  also, 
and  the  day  was  brightly  kept,  —  from  the 
home  letters  by  the  early  mail  to  the  grand 
merry-making  and  dance  with  which  it  wound 
up.  Everybody  had  some  little  present  for 
everybody  else.  Mrs.  Wade  sent  Clover  a  tall 
india-rubber  plant  in  a  china  pot,  which  made 
a  spire  of  green  in  the  south  window  for  the 
rest  of  the  winter ;  and  Clover  had  spent  many 
odd  moments  and  stitches  in  the  fabrication 
of  a  gorgeous  Mexican-worked  sideboard  cloth 
for  the  Hopes. 

But  of  all  Clover's  offerings  the  one  which 
pleased  her  most,  as  showing  a  close  obser- 
vation of  her  needs,  came  from  Geoff  Tem- 
plestowe.  It  was  a  prosaic  gift,  being  a 
wagon-load  of  pinon  wood  for  the  fire ;  but 
the  gnarled,  oddly  twisted  sticks  were  heaped 
high  with  pine  boughs  and  long  trails  of  red- 
fruited  kinnikinnick  to  serve  as  a  Christmas 
dressing,  and  somehow  the  gift  gave  Clover 
a  peculiar  pleasure. 


276  CLOVER. 

"  How  dear  of  him ! "  she  thought,  lifting 
one  of  the  big  pinon  logs  with  a  gentle  touch  ; 
"  and  how  like  him  to  think  of  it !  I  wonder 
what  makes  him  so  different  from  other  peo- 
ple. He  never  says  fine  flourishing  things 
like  Thurber  Wade,  or  abrupt,  rather  rude 
things  like  Clarence,  or  inconsiderate  things 
like  Phil,  or  satirical,  funny  things  like  the 
doctor ;  but  he  's  always  doing  something 
kind.  He  's  a  little  bit  like  papa,  I  think ; 
and  yet  I  don't  know.  I  wish  Katy  could 
have  seen  him." 

Life  at  St.  Helen's  in  the  winter  season  is 
never  dull;  but  the  gayest  fortnight  of  all 
was  when,  late  in  January,  the  High  Valley 
partners  deserted  their  duties  and  came  in  for 
a  visit  to  the  Hopes.  All  sorts  of  small  festiv- 
ities had  been  saved  for  this  special  fortnight, 
and  among  the  rest,  Clover  and  Phil  gave  a 
party. 

"  If  you  can  squeeze  into  the  dining-room, 
and  if  you  can  do  with  just  cream-toast  for 
tea,"  she  explained,  "  it  would  be  such  fun  to 
have  you  come.  I  can't  give  you  anything  to 
eat  to  speak  of,  because  T  have  n't  any  cook, 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STREET.  277 

you  know ;  but  you  can  all  eat  a  great  deal 
of  dinner,  and  then  you  won't  starve." 

Thurber  Wade,  the  Hopes,  Clarence,  Geoff, 
Marian,  and  Alice  made  a  party  of  nine, 
and  it  was  hard  work  indeed  to  squeeze  so 
many  into  the  tiny  dining-room  of  No.  13. 
The  very  difficulties,  however,  made  it  all  the 
jollier.  Clover's  cream-toast, — which  she  pre- 
pared before  their  eyes  on  the  blazer,  —  her 
little  tarts  made  of  crackers  split,  buttered,  and 
toasted  brown  with  a  spoonful  of  raspberry 
jam  in  each,  and  the  big  loaf  of  hot  ginger- 
bread to  be  eaten  with  thick  cream  from  the 
High  Valley,  were  pronounced  each  in  its  way 
to  be  absolute  perfection.  Clarence  and  Phil 
kindly  volunteered  to  "shunt  the  dishes"  into 
the  kitchen  after  the  repast  was  concluded ; 
and  they  gathered  round  the  fire  to  play 
"  twenty  questions  "  and  "  stage-coach,"  and 
all  manner  of  what  Clover  called  "  lead-pencil 
games,"  —  "  crambo  "  and  "  criticism  "  and 
"  anagrams  "  and  "  consequences."  There 
was  immense  laughter  over  some  of  these,  as, 
for  instance,  when  Dr.  Hope  was  reported  as 


278  CLOVER. 

having  met  Mrs.  Watson  in  the  North  Chey- 
enne Canyon,  and  he  said  that  knowledge  is 
power ;  and  she,  that  when  larks  flew  round 
ready  roasted  poor  folks  could  stick  a  fork  in ; 
and  the  consequence  was  that  they  eloped 
together  to  a  Cannibal  Island  where  each  suf- 
fered a  process  of  disillusionation,  and  the 
world  said  it  was  the  natural  result  of  oscu- 
lation. This  last  sentence  was  Phil's,  and 
[  fear  he  had  peeped  a  little,  or  his  context 
would  not  have  been  so  apropos ;  but  alto- 
gether the  "  cream-toast  swarry,"  as  he  called 
it,  was  a  pronounced  success. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  a  mysterious 
little  cloud  of  difference  seemed  to  fall  on 
Thurber  Wade.  He  ceased  to  call  at  No.  13, 
or  to  bring  flowers  from  his  mother ;  and  by- 
and-by  it  was  learned  that  he  had  started  for 
a  visit  to  the  East.  No  one  knew  what  had 
caused  these  phenomena,  though  some  people 
may  have  suspected.  Later  it  was  announced 
that  he  was  in  Chicago  and  very  attentive  to 
a  pretty  Miss  Somebody  whose  father  had 
made  a  great  deal  of  money  in  Standard  oil. 


NO.    13   PIUTE   STKEET.  279 

Poppy  arched  her  brows  and  made  great 
amused  eyes  at  Clover,  trying  to  entangle 
her  into  admissions  as  to  this  or  that,  and 
Clarence  experimented  in  the  same  direction ; 
but  Clover  was  innocently  impervious  to  these 
efforts,  and  no  one  ever  knew  what  had  hap- 
pened between  her  and  Thurber,  —  if,  indeed, 
anything  had  happened. 

So  May  came  to  St.  Helen's  in  due  course 
of  time.  The  sand-storms  and  the  snow-storms 
were  things  of  the  past,  the  tawny  yellow  of 
the  plains  began  to  flush  with  green,  and  every 
day  the  sun  grew  more  warm  and  beautiful. 
Phil  seemed  perfectly  well  and  sound  now; 
their  occupancy  of  No.  13  was  drawing  to  a 
close;  and  Clover,  as  she  reflected  that  Col- 
orado would  soon  be  a  thing  of  the  past,  and 
must  be  left  behind,  was  sensible  of  a  little 
sinking  of  the  heart  even  though  she  and 
Phil  were  going  home. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   LAST   OF   THE   CLOVER-LEAVES. 

[AST  days  are  very  apt  to  be  hard 
days.     As  the  time  drew  near  for 
quitting  No.   13,  Clover  was  con- 
scious of  a  growing  reluctance. 

"I  wonder  why  it  is  that  I  mind  it  so 
much?"  she  asked  herself.  "Phil  has  got 
well  here,  to  be  sure ;  that  would  be  enough 
of  itself  to  make  me  fond  of  the  place,  and 
we  have  had  a  happy  winter  in  this  little 
house.  But  still,  papa,  Elsie,  John,  —  it  seems 
very  queer  that  I  am  not  gladder  to  go  back 
to  them.  I  can't  account  for  it.  It  is  n't 
natural,  and  it  seems  wrong  in  me." 

It  was  a  rainy  afternoon  in  which  Clover 
made  these  reflections.  Phil,  weary  of  being 
shut  indoors,  had  donned  ulster  and  overshoes, 
and  gone  up  to  make  a  call  on  Mrs.  Hope, 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   281 

Clover  was  quite  alone  in  the  house,  as  she 
sat  with  her  mending-basket  beside  the  fire- 
place, in  which  was  burning  the  last  but  three 
of  the  pinon  logs,  —  Geoff  Templestowe's 
Christmas  present. 

"  They  will  just  last  us  out,"  reflected 
Clover ;  "  what  a  comfort  they  have  been ! 
I  would  like  to  carry  the  very  last  of  them 
home  with  me,  and  keep  it  to  look  at ;  but 
I  suppose  it  would  be  silly." 

She  looked  about  the  little  room.  Nothing 
as  yet  had  been  moved  or  disturbed,  though 
the  next  week  would  bring  their  term  of 
occupancy  to  a  close. 

"  This  is  a  good  evening  to  begin  to  take 
things  down  and  pack  them,"  she  thought. 
"  No  one  is  likely  to  come  in,  and  Phil  is 
away." 

She  rose  from  her  chair,  moved  restlessly 
to  and  fro,  and  at  last  leaned  forward  and 
unpinned  a  corner  of  one  of  the  photo- 
graphs on  the  wall.  She  stood  for  a  moment 
irresolutely  with  the  pin  in  her  fingers,  then 
she  jammed  it  determinedly  back  into  the 


282  CLOVEK. 

photograph  again,  and  returned  to  her  sew- 
ing. I  almost  think  there  were  tears  in  her 
eyes. 

"  No,"  she  said  half  aloud,  "  I  won't  spoil 
it  yet.  We  '11  have  one  more  pleasant  night 
with  everything  just  as  it  is,  and  then  I  '11 
go  to  work  and  pull  all  to  pieces  at  once. 
It 's  the  easiest  way." 

Just  then  a  foot  sounded  on  the  steps,  and 
a  knock  was  heard.  Clover  opened  the  door, 
and  gave  an  exclamation  of  pleasure.  It  was 
Geoffrey  Templestowe,  splashed  and  wet  from 
a  muddy  ride  down  the  pass,  but  wearing  a 
very  bright  face. 

"  How  nice  and  unexpected  this  is ! "  was 
Clover's  greeting.  "  It  is  such  a  bad  day  that 
I  did  n't  suppose  you  or  Clarence  could  pos- 
sibly get  in.  Come  to  the  fire  and  warm 
yourself.  Is  he  here  too  ?  " 

"  No ;  he  is  out  at  the  ranch.  I  came  in 
to  meet  a  man  on  business;  but  it  seems 
there  's  a  wash-out  somewhere  between  here 
and  Santa  Fe,  and  my  man  telegraphs  that  he 
can't  get  through  till  to-morrow  noon." 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   283 

"  So  you  will  spend  the  night  in  town." 

"  Yes.  I  took  Marigold  to  the  stable,  and 
spoke  to  Mrs.  Marsh  about  a  room,  and  then 
I  walked  up  to  see  you  and  Phil.  How  is 
he,  by  the  way  ?  " 

"  Quite  well.  I  never  saw  him  so  strong 
or  so  jolly.  Papa  will  hardly  believe  his 
eyes  when  we  get  back.  He  has  gone  up  to 
the  Hopes,  but  will  be  in  presently.  You  '11 
stay  and  take  tea  with  us,  of  course." 

"  Thanks,  if  you  will  have  me ;  I  was  hop- 
ing to  be  asked." 

"  Oh,  we  're  only  too  glad  to  have  you. 
Our  time  here  is  getting  so  short  that  we 
want  to  make  the  very  most  of  all  our  friends; 
and  by  good  luck  there  is  a  can  of  oysters  in 
the  house,  so  I  can  give  you  something  hot." 

"  Do  you  really  go  so  soon  ?  " 

"  Our  lease  is  out  next  week,  you  know." 

"  Really ;  so  soon  as  that  ?  " 

"  It  is  n't  soon.  We  have  lived  here  nearly 
eight  months." 

"  What  a  good  time  we  have  all  had  in  this 
little  house  !  "  cried  Geoff,  regretfully.  "  It 


284  CLOVER. 

has  been  a  sort  of  warm  little  centre  to  us 
homeless  people  all  winter.' * 

"  You  don't  count  yourself  among  the 
homeless  ones,  I  hope,  with  such  a  pleasant 
place  as  the  High  Valley  to  live  in." 

"  Oh,  the  hut  is  all  very  well  in  its  way,  of 
course ;  but  I  don't  look  at  it  as  a  home  ex- 
actly. It  answers  to  eat  and  sleep  in,  and  for 
a  shelter  when  it  rains ;  but  you  can't  make 
much  more  of  it  than  that.  The  only  time  it 
ever  seemed  home-like  in  the  least  was  when 
you  and  Mrs.  Hope  were  there.  That  week 
spoiled  it  for  me  for  all  time." 

"  That 's  a  pity,  if  it 's  true,  but  I  hope  it 
is  n't.  It  was  a  delightful  week,  though ;  and 
I  think  you  do  the  valley  an  injustice.  It's 
a  beautiful  place.  Now,  if  you  will  excuse 
me,  I  am  going  to  get  supper." 

"  Let  me  help  you." 

"  Oh,  there  is  almost  nothing  to  do.  I  'd 
much  rather  you  would  sit  still  and  rest.  You 
are  tired  from  your  ride,  I  'm  sure ;  and  if 
you  don't  mind,  I  '11  bring  my  blazer  and 
cook  the  oysters  here  by  the  fire.  I  always 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   285 

did  like  to  *  kitch  in  the  dining-room/  as  Mrs. 
Whitney  calls  it." 

Clover  had  set  the  tea-table  before  she  sat 
down  to  sew,  so  there  really  was  almost  noth- 
ing to  do.  Geoff  lay  back  in  his  chair  and 
looked  on  with  a  sort  of  dreamy  pleasure  as 
she  went  lightly  to  and  fro,  making  her  ar- 
rangements, which,  simple  as  they  were,  had 
a  certain  dainty  quality  about  them  which 
seemed  peculiar  to  all  that  Clover  did, — 
twisted  a  trail  of  kinnikinnick  about  the 
butter-plate,  laid  a  garnish  of  fresh  parsley 
on  the  slices  of  cold  beef,  and  set  a  glass  full 
of  wild  crocuses  in  the  middle  of  the  table. 
Then  she  returned  to  the  parlor,  put  the  ket- 
tle, which  had  already  begun  to  sing,  on  the 
fire,  and  began  to  stir  and  season  her  oysters, 
which  presently  sent  out  a  savory  smell. 

"  I  have  learned  six  ways  of  cooking 
oysters  this  winter,"  she  announced  glee- 
fully. "This  is  a  dry-pan-roast.  I  wonder 
if  you  '11  approve  of  it.  And  I  wonder  why 
Phil  does  n't  come.  T  wish  he  would  make 
haste,  for  these  are  nearly  done." 


286  CLOVER. 

"  There  he  is  now,"  remarked  Geoff. 
But  instead   it  was  Dr.  Hope's  office-boy 
with  a  note. 

DEAR  C.,  —  Mrs.  Hope  wants  me  for  a  fourth 
hand  at  whist,  so  I  'm  staying,  if  you  don't  mind. 
She  says  if  it  did  n't  pour  so  she  'd  ask  you  to 
come  too.  P. 

"  Well,  I  'm  glad/'  said  Clover.  « It 's  been 
a  dull  day  for  him,  and  now  he  '11  have  a  pleas- 
ant evening,  only  he  '11  miss  you." 

"I  call  it  very  inconsiderate  of  the  little 
scamp,"  observed  Geoff.  "  He  does  n't  know 
but  that  he  's  leaving  you  to  spend  the  even- 
ing quite  alone." 

"  Oh,  boys  don't  think  of  things  like  that." 

"  Boys  ought  to,  then.  However,  I  can 
stand  his  absence,  if  you  can ! " 

It  was  a  very  merry  little  meal  to  which 
they  presently  sat  down,  full  of  the  charm 
which  the  unexpected  brings  with  it.  Clover 
had  grown  to  regard  Geoff  as  one  of  her  very 
best  friends,  and  was  perfectly  at  her  ease 
with  him,  while  to  him,  poor  lonely  fellow, 
such  a  glimpse  of  cosey  home-life  was  like  a 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   287 

peep  at  Paradise.  He  prolonged  the  pleasure 
as  much  as  possible,  ate  each  oyster  slowly, 
descanting  on  its  flavor,  and  drank  more  cups 
of  tea  than  were  at  all  good  for  him,  for  the 
pleasure  of  having  Clover  pour  them  out.  He 
made  no  further  offers  of  help  when  supper 
was  ended,  but  looked  on  with  fascinated  eyes 
as  she  cleared  away  and  made  things  tidy. 

At  last  she  finished  and  came  back  to  the 
fire.  There  was  a  silence.  Geoff  was  first  to 
break  it.  "  It  would  seem  like  a  prison  to 
you,  I  am  afraid,"  he  said  abruptly. 

"What  would?" 

"  I  was  thinking  of  what  you  said  about  the 
High  Valley." 

"  Oh  ! " 

"  You  've  only  seen  it  in  summer,  you 
know.  It 's  quite  a  different  place  in  the 
winter.  I  don't  believe  a  —  person  —  could 
live  on  the  year  round  and  be  contented." 

"  It  would  depend  upon  the  person,  of 
course." 

"  If  it  were  a  lady,  —  yourself,  for  instance, 
—  could  it  be  made  anyway  tolerable,  do  you 


288  CLOVER. 

think  ?  Of  course,  one  might  get  away  now 
and  then  —  " 

"  I  don't  know.  It 's  not  easy  to  tell  be- 
forehand how  people  are  going  to  feel ;  but 
I  can't  imagine  the  High  Valley  ever  seem- 
ing like  a  prison, "  replied  Clover,  vexed  to 
find  herself  blushing,  and  yet  unable  to  help 
it,  Geoff's  manner  had  such  an  odd  intensity 
in  it. 

"  If  I  were  sure  that  you  could  realize 
what  it  would  be  —  "  he  began  impetuously ; 
then  quieting  himself,  "  but  you  don't.  How 
could  you  ?  Ranch  life  is  well  enough  in 
summer  for  a  short  time  by  way  of  a  frolic  ; 
but  in  winter  and  spring  with  the  Upper  Can- 
yon full  of  snow,  and  the  road  down  muddy 
and  slippery,  and  the  storms  and  short  days, 
and  the  sense  of  being  shut  in  and  lonely,  it 
would  be  a  dismal  place  for  a  lady.  Nobody 
has  a  right  to  expect  a  woman  to  undergo 
such  a  life." 

Clover  absorbed  herself  in  her  sewing,  she 
did  not  speak ;  but  still  that  deep  uncomfort- 
able blush  burned  on  her  cheeks. 


THE   LAST    OF   THE   CLOVER-LEAVES. 

"  What  do  you  think  ? "  persisted  Geoff. 
"  Would  n't  it  be  inexcusable  selfishness  in  a 
man  to  ask  such  a  thing  ?  " 

"I  think,"  said  Clover,  shyly  and  softly, 
"  that  a  man  has  a  right  to  ask  for  whatever 
he  wants,  and  —  "  she  paused. 

"  And  —  what  ?  "  urged  Geoff,  bending 
forward. 

"  Well,  a  woman  has  always  the  right 
to  say  no,  if  she  does  n't  want  to  say 
yes." 

"You  tempt  me  awfully,"  cried  Geoff,  start- 
ing up.  "  When  I  think  what  this  place  is 
going  to  seem  like  after  you  've  gone,  and 
what  the  ranch  will  be  with  all  the  heart 
taken  from  it,  and  the  loneliness  made  twice 
as  lonely  by  comparison,  I  grow  desperate, 
and  feel  as  if  I  could  not  let  you  go  without 
at  least  risking  the  question.  But  Clover,  — 
let  me  call  you  so  this  once, —  no  woman  could 
consent  to  such  a  life  unless  she  cared  very 
much  for  a  man.  Could  you  ever  love  me 
well  enough  for  that,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  a  very  unfair  sort  of  ques- 

19 


290  CLOVER. 

tion  to  put,"  said  Clover,  with  a  mischievous 
glint  in  her  usually  soft  eyes.  "  Suppose  I 
said  I  could,  and  then  you  turned  round  and 
remarked  that  you  were  ever  so  sorry  that 
you  could  n't  reciprocate  my  feelings  —  " 

"  Clover,"  catching  her  hand,  "  how  can 
you  torment  me  so  ?  Is  it  necessary  that  I 
should  tell  you  that  I  love  you  with  every  bit 
of  heart  that  is  in  me,  and  need  you  and 
want  you  and  long  for  you,  but  have  never 
dared  to  hope  that  you  could  want  me  ?  Love- 
liest, sweetest,  I  do,  and  I  always  shall,  whether 
it  is  yes  or  no." 

"Then,  Geoff  — if  you  feel  like  that  — if 
you  're  quite  sure  you  feel  like  that,  I 
think  —  " 

"  What  do  you  think,  dearest  ?  " 

"  I  think  —  that  I  could  be  very  happy 
even  in  winter  —  in  the  High  Valley." 

And  papa  and  the  children,  and  the  lonely 
and  far-away  feelings  ?  There  was  never  a 
mention  of  them  in  this  frank  acceptance. 
Oh,  Clover,  Clover,  circumstances  do  alter 
casesl 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   291 

Mrs.  Hope's  rubber  of  whist  seemed  a  long 
one,  for  Phil  did  not  get  home  till  a  quarter 
before  eleven,  by  which  time  the  two  by  the 
fire  had  settled  the  whole  progress  of  their 
future  lives,  while  the  last  logs  of  the  piuon 
wood  crackled,  smouldered,  and  at  length 
broke  apart  into  flaming  brands.  In  imag- 
ination the  little  ranch  house  had  thrown 
out  as  many  wings  and  as  easily  as  a  newly- 
hatched  dragon-fly,  had  been  beautified  and 
made  convenient  in  all  sorts  of  ways,  —  a 
flower-garden  had  sprouted  round  its  base, 
plenty  of  room  had  been  made  for  papa  and 
the  children  and  Katy  and  Ned,  who  were 
to  come  out  continually  for  visits  in  the 
long  lovely  summers ;  they  themselves  also 
were  to  go  to  and  fro,  —  to  Burnet,  and  still 
farther  afield,  over  seas  to  the  old  Devonshire 
grange  which  Geoff  remembered  so  fondly. 

"  How  my  mother  and  Isabel  will  delight 
in  you,"  he  said  ;  "  and  the  squire  !  You  are 
precisely  the  girl  to  take  his  fancy.  We  11 
go  over  and  see  them  as  soon  as  we  can, 
won't  we,  Clover?" 


292  CLOVER. 

Clover  listened  delightedly  to  all  these 
schemes,  but  through  them  all,  like  that 
young  Irish  lady  who  went  over  the  mar- 
riage service  with  her  lover  adding  at  the 
end  of  every  clause,  "  Provided  my  father 
gives  his  consent,"  she  interposed  a  little 
running  thread  of  protest,  —  "  If  papa  is  will- 
ing. You  know,  Geoff,  I  can't  really  promise 
anything  till  I  've  talked  with  papa." 

It  was  settled  that  until  Dr.  Carr  had  been 
consulted,  the  affair  was  not  to  be  called  an 
engagement,  or  spoken  of  to  any  one ;  only 
Clover  asked  Geoff  to  tell  Clarence  all  about 
it  at  once. 

The  thought  of  Clarence  was,  in  truth,  the 
one  cloud  in  her  happiness  just  then.  It  was 
impossible  to  calculate  how  he  wo  aid  take  the 
news.  If  it  made  him  angry  or  very  un- 
happy, if  it  broke  up  his  friendship  with  Geoff, 
and  perhaps  interfered  with  their  partner- 
ship so  that  one  or  other  of  them  must  leave 
the  High  Valley,  Clover  felt  that  it  would 
grievously  mar  her  contentment.  There  was 
no  use  in  planning  anything  till  they  knew 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVEK-LEAVES.   293 

how  he  would  feel  and  act.  In  any  case, 
she  realized  that  they  were  bound  to  consider 
him  before  themselves,  and  make  it  as  easy 
and  as  little  painful  as  possible.  If  he  were 
vexatious,  they  must  be  patient ;  if  sulky, 
they  must  be  forbearing. 

Phil  opened  his  eyes  very  wide  at  the  pair 
sitting  so  coseyly  over  the  fire  when  at  last 
he  came  in. 

UI  say,  have  you  been  here  all  the  even- 
ing?" he  cried.  "Well,  that's  a  sell!  I 
would  n't  have  gone  out  if  I  'd  known." 

"  We  've  missed  you  very  much,"  quoth 
Geoff;  and  then  he  laughed  as  at  some  ex- 
tremely good  joke,  and  Clover  laughed  too. 

"  You  seem  to  have  kept  up  your  spirits 
pretty  well,  considering,"  remarked  Phil,  dry- 
ly. Boys  of  eighteen  are  not  apt  to  enjoy 
jokes  which  do  not  originate  with  themselves; 
they  are  suspicious  of  them. 

"  I  suppose  I  must  go  now,"  said  Geoif, 
looking  at  his  watch ;  "  but  I  shall  see  you 
again  before  I  leave.  I  '11  come  in  to-morrow 
after  I  've  met  my  man." 


294  CLOVER. 

"  All  right,"  said  Phil ;  "  I  won't  go  out  till 
you  come." 

"  Oh,  pray  don't  feel  obliged  to  stay  in.  I 
can't  at  all  tell  when  I  shall  be  able  to  get 
through  with  the  fellow." 

"  Come  to  dinner  if  you  can,"  suggested 
Clover.  "  Phil  is  sure  to  be  at  home  then." 

Lovers  are  like  ostriches.  Geoff  went 
away  just  shaking  hands  casually,  and  was 
very  particular  to  say  "  Miss  Carr  ;  "  and 
he  and  Clover  felt  that  they  had  managed 
so  skilfully  and  concealed  their  secret  so 
well ;  yet  the  first  remark  made  by  Phil  as 
the  door  shut  was,  "  Geoff  seems  queer  to- 
night, somehow,  and  so  do  you.  What  have 
you  been  talking  about  all  the  evening  ?  " 

An  observant  younger  brother  is  a  difficult 
factor  in  a  love  affair. 

Two  days  passed.  Clover  looked  in  vain 
for  a  note  from  the  High  Valley  to  say  how 
Clarence  had  borne  the  revelation ;  and  she 
grew  more  nervous  with  every  hour.  It 
was  absolutely  necessary  now  to  dismantle 
the  house,  and  she  found  a  certain  relief  in 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   295 

keeping  exceedingly  busy.  Somehow  the 
break-up  had  lost  its  inexplicable  pain,  and 
a  glad  little  voice  saiig  all  the  time  at  her 
heart,  "  I  shall  come  back ;  I  shall  certainly 
come  back.  Papa  will  let  me,  I  am  sure, 
when  he  knows  Geoff,  and  how  nice  he  is." 

She  was  at  the  dining-table  wrapping  a 
row  of  books  in  paper  ready  for  packing, 
when  a  step  sounded,  and  glancing  round 
she  saw  Clarence  himself  standing  in  the 
doorway.  He  did  not  look  angry,  as  she  had 
feared  he  might,  or  moody ;  and  though  he 
avoided  her  eye  at  first,  his  face  was  resolute 
and  kind. 

"  Geoff  has  told  me,"  were  his  first  words. 
"  I  know  from  what  he  said  that  you,  and  he 
too,  are  afraid  that  I  shall  make  myself  dis- 
agreeable ;  so  I  've  come  in  to  say  that  I  shall 
do  nothing  of  the  kind." 

"  Dear  Clarence,  that  was  n't  what  Geoff 
meant,  or  I  either,"  said  Clover,  with  a  rush 
of  relief,  and  holding  out  both  her  hands  to 
him ;  "  what  we  were  afraid  of  was  that  you 
might  be  unhappy," 


296  CLOVER. 

"  Well,"  in  a  husky  tone,  and  holding  the 
little  hands  very  tight,  "it  is  n't  easy,  of 
course,  to  give  up  a  hope.  I  've  held  on  to 
mine  all  this  time,  though  I  've  told  myself  a 
hundred  times  that  I  was  a  fool  for  doing  so, 
and  though  I  knew  in  my  heart  it  was  no  use. 
Now  I  've  had  two  days  to  think  it  over  and 
get  past  the  first  shock,  and,  Clover,  I  've  de- 
cided. You  and  Geoff  are  the  best  friends 
I've  got  in  the  world.  I  never  seemed  to 
make  friends,  somehow.  Till  you  came  to 
Hillsover  that  time  nobody  liked  me  much ; 
I  don't  know  why.  I  can't  get  along  with- 
out you  two ;  so  I  give  you  up  without  any 
hard  feeling,  and  I  mean  to  be  as  jolly  as  I 
can  about  it.  After  all,  to  have  you  at  the 
High  Valley  will  be  a  sort  of  happiness,  even 
if  you  don't  come  for  my  sake  exactly,"  with 
an  attempt  at  a  laugh. 

"  Clarence,  you  really  are  a  dear  boy  !  I 
can't  tell  you  how  I  thank  you,  and  how  I 
admire  you  for  being  so  nice  about  this." 

"  Then  that 's  worth  something,  too.  I  'd 
do  a  good  deal  to  win  your  approval, 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVEE-LEAVES.   297 

Clover.  So  it 's  all  settled.  Don't  worry 
about  me,  or  be  afraid  that  I  shall  spoil  your 
comfort  with  sour  looks.  If  I  find  I  can't 
stand  it,  I  '11  go  away  for  a  while ;  but  I 
don't  think  it  '11  come  to  that.  You  '11  make 
a  real  home  out  of  the  ranch  house,  and 
you  '11  let  me  have  my  share  of  your  life,  and 
be  a  brother  to  you  and  Geoff ;  and  I  '11  try 
to  be  a  good  one." 

Clover  was  touched  to  the  heart  by  these 
manful  words  so  gently  spoken. 

"  You  shall  be  our  dear  special  brother 
always,"  she  said.  "  Only  this  was  needed 
to  make  me  quite  happy.  I  am  so  glad  you 
don't  want  to  go  away  and  leave  us,  or  to 
have  us  leave  you.  We  '11  make  the  ranch 
over  into  the  dearest  little  home  in  the  world, 
and  be  so  cosey  there  all  together,  and  papa 
and  the  others  shall  come  out  for  visits ;  and 
you  '11  like  them  so  much,  I  know,  Elsie 
especially." 

"  Does  she  look  like  you  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit ;  she 's  ever  so  much  prettier." 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  thai" 


298  CLOVER. 

Clover's  heart  being  thus  lightened  of  its 
only  burden  by  this  treaty  of  mutual  amity, 
she  proceeded  joyously  with  her  packing. 
Mrs.  Hope  said  she  was  not  half  sorry  enough 
to  go  away,  and  Poppy  upbraided  her  as  a  gay 
deceiver  without  any  conscience  or  affections. 
She  laughed  and  protested  and  denied,  but 
looked  so  radiantly  satisfied  the  while  as  to 
give  a  fair  color  for  her  friends'  accusations, 
especially  as  she  could  not  explain  the  rea- 
sons of  her  contentment  or  hint  at  her  hopes 
of  return.  Mrs.  Hope  probably  had  her  sus- 
picions, for  she  was  rather  urgent  with  Clover 
to  leave  this  thing  and  that  for  safe  keeping 
"incase  you  ever  come  back;"  but  Clover 
declined  these  offers,  and  resolutely  packed  up 
everything  with  a  foolish  little  superstition 
that  it  was  "  better  luck  "  to  do  so,  and  that 
papa  would  like  it  better. 

Quite  a  little  group  of  friends  assembled  at 
the  railway  station  to  see  her  and  Phil  set  off. 
They  were  laden  with  flowers  and  fruit  and 
"  natural  soda-water "  with  which  to  beguile 
the  long  journey,  and  with  many  good  wishes 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   299 

and  affectionate  hopes  that  they  might  return 
some  day. 

"Something  tells  me  that  you  will,"  Mrs. 
Hope  declared.  "  I  feel  it  in  my  bones,  and 
they  hardly  ever  deceive  me.  My  mother  had 
the  same  kind  ;  it 's  in  the  family." 

"  Something  tells  me  that  you  must,"  cried 
Poppy,  embracing  Clover;  "but  I'm  afraid 
it  isn't  bones  or  anything  prophetic,  but 
only  the  fact  that  I  want  you  to  so  very 
much." 

From  the  midst  of  these  farewells  Clover's 
eyes  crossed  the  valley  and  sought  out  Mount 
Cheyenne. 

"  How  differently  I  should  be  feeling,"  she 
thought,  "  if  this  were  going  away  with  no 
real  hope  of  coming  back !  I  could  hardly 
have  borne  to  look  at  you  had  that  been  the 
case,  you  dear  beautiful  thing ;  but  I  am  com- 
ing back  to  live  close  beside  you  always,  and 
oh,  how  glad  I  am ! " 

"  Is  that  good-by  to  Cheyenne  ? "  asked 
Marian,  catching  the  little  wave  of  a  hand. 

"  Yes,  it  is  good-by ;   but  I   have   prom- 


300  CLOVER. 

ised  him  that  it  shall  soon  be  how-do-you-do 
again.  Mount  Cheyenne  and  I  understand 
each  other." 

"  I  know ;  you  have  always  had  a  senti- 
mental attachment  to  that  mountain.  Now 
Pike's  Peak  is  my  affinity.  We  get  on  beau- 
tifully together." 

"  Pike's  Peak  indeed !  I  am  ashamed  of 
you." 

Then  the  train  moved  away  amid  a  flutter 
of  handkerchiefs,  but  still  Clover  and  Phil 
were  not  left  to  themselves;  for  Dr.  Hope, 
who  had  a  consultation  in  Denver,  was  to 
see  them  safely  off  in  the  night  express, 
and  Geoff  had  some  real  or  invented  busi- 
ness which  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  go 
also. 

Clover  carried  with  her  through  all  the 
three  days'  ride  the  lingering  pressure  of 
Geoff's  hand,  and  his  whispered  promise  to 
"  come  on  soon."  It  made  the  long  way  seem 
short.  But  when  they  arrived,  amid  all  the 
kisses  and  rejoicings,  the  exclamations  over 
Phil's  look  of  health  and  vigor,  the  girls' 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  CLOVER-LEAVES.   301 

intense  interest  in  all  that  she  had  seen  and 
done,  papa's  warm  approval  of  her  manage- 
ment, her  secret  began  to  burn  guiltily  with- 
in her.  What  would  they  all  say  when  they 
knew  ? 

And  what  did  they  say?  I  think  few  of 
you  will  be  at  a  loss  to -guess.  Life  —  real 
life  as  well  as  life  in  story-books  —  is  full  of 
such  shocks  and  surprises.  They  are  half 
happy,  half  unhappy ;  but  they  have  to  be 
borne.  Younger  sisters,  till  their  own  turns 
come,  are  apt  to  take  a  severe  view  of  mar- 
riage plans,  and  to  feel  that  they  cruelly  in- 
terrupt a  past  order  of  things  which,  so  far  as 
they  are  concerned,  need  no  improvement. 
And  parents,  who  say  less  and  understand 
better,  suffer,  perhaps,  more.  "  To  bear,  to 
rear,  to  lose,"  is  the  order  of  family  history, 
generally  unexpected,  always  recurring. 

But  true  love  is  not  selfish.  In  time  it 
accustoms  itself  to  anything  which  secures 
happiness  for  its  object.  Dr.  Carr  did  confide 
to  Katy  in  a  moment  of  private  explosion  that 
he  wished  the  Great  West  had  never  been 


302  CLOVER. 

invented,  and  that  such  a  prohibitory  tax 
could  be  laid  upon  young  Englishmen  as  to 
make  it  impossible  that  another  one  should 
ever  be  landed  on  our  shores;  but  he  had 
never  in  his  life  refused  Clover  anything  upon 
which  she  had  set  her  heart,  and  he  saw  in 
her  eyes  that  her  heart  was  very  much  set  on 
this.  John  and  Elsie  scolded  and  cried,  and 
then  in  time  began  to  talk  of  their  future 
visits  to  High  Valley  till  they  grew  to  antici- 
pate them,  and  be  rather  in  a  hurry  for  them 
to  begin.  Geoff's  arrival  completed  their 
conversion. 

"  Nicer  than  Ned,"  Johnnie  pronounced 
him ;  and  even  Dr.  Carr  was  forced  to  confess 
that  the  sons-in-law  with  which  Fate  had  pro- 
vided him  were  of  a  superior  sort ;  only  he 
wished  that  they  did  n't  want  to  marry  his 
girls ! 

Phil,  from  first  to  last,  was  in  favor  of  the 
plan,  and  a  firm  ally  to  the  lovers.  He  had 
grown  extremely  Western  in  his  ideas,  and 
was  persuaded  in  his  mind  that  "  this  old 
East/'  as  he  termed  it,  with  its  puny  possi- 


THE  LAST   OF   THE   CLOVER-LEAVES. 

bilities,  did  not  amount  to  much,  and  that  as 
soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  shape  his  own 
destinies,  he  should  return  to  the  only  sec- 
tion of  the  country  worthy  the  attention  of  a 
young  man  of  parts.  Meanwhile,  he  was  per- 
fectly well  again,  and  willing  to  comply  with 
his  father's  desire  that  before  he  made  any 
positive  arrangements  for  his  future,  he  should 
get  a  sound  and  thorough  education. 

"  So  you  are  actually  going  out  to  the  wild  and 
barbarous  West,  to  live  on  a  ranch,  milk  cows,  chase 
the  wild  buffalo  to  its  lair,  and  hold  the  tiger-cat 
by  its  favorite  forelock,"  wrote  Rose  Red.  "  What 
was  that  you  were  saying  only  the  other  day  about 
nice  convenient  husbands,  who  cruise  off  for  '  good 
long  times,'  and  leaves  tnejr  wives  comfortably  at 
home  with  their  own  families  ?  And  here  you  are 
planning  to  marry  a  man  who,  whenever  he  is  n't 
galloping  after  cattle,  will  be  in  your  pocket  at 
home !  Oh,  Clover,  Clover,  how  inconsistent  a 
thing  is  woman,  —  not  to  say  girl,  —  and  what 
havoc  that  queer  deity  named  Cupid  does  make 
with  preconceived  opinions !  I  did  think  I  could 
rely  on  you ;  but  you  are  just  as  bad  as  the  rest  of 
us,  and  when  a  lad  whistles,  go  off  after  him  wher- 


304  CLOVER. 

ever  he  happens  to  lead,  and  think  it  the  best  thing 
possible  to  do  so.  It 's  a  mad  world,  my  masters ; 
and  I  'm  thankful  that  Roslein  is  only  four  and  a 
half  years  old." 

And  Clover's  answer  was   one   line   on   a 
postal  card, — 

"  Guilty,  but  recommended  to  mercy !  " 


THE  END. 


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